Classes are complete, college commitments have been made, the relatives are either here or on their way,  and tears have already been shed. The day that every student has been working toward for 13 years is almost here.

If all goes as planned, the ceremony will be held Friday, June 12, at 7:30 p.m. on the football field.

Speeches and introductions will be delivered by  SGA and senior class officers. And as per school tradition, the outgoing Teacher of the Year will present the commencement speech.  As the 11th teacher to serve as First Flight’s Teacher of the Year, Monica DeFelice will have the honor of addressing the 198 candidates for graduation.

Valedictorian Matthew Thibodeau and salutatorian Matthew Gray will also have the privilege of addressing their classmates.

“It’s really an honor to be able to speak for such an excellent group of people,” Thibodeau said. “It’s a diverse group as well, so my representation can at best be incomplete, but I hope that I’ll be able to appeal to everyone’s hopes and aspirations for the future.”

The ceremony, which usually lasts just over an hour, will be held outside on the football field where unlimited seating is available for friends and family, weather permitting. However, in the event of inclement weather, the function will be held in the school’s gymnasium where each student will only be allotted five tickets. A live stream will be projected in the auditorium for those unable to sit in the gym. In the previous 10 years, five graduations have been held outside while five have been held in the gymnasium.

The graduation ceremony will be simulcast online for those unable to attend, regardless of its location.

The graduation ceremony is a school-wide event planned by senior class sponsors Susan Blackwell and Jennifer Kinnisten. Faculty members are involved in a variety of roles from the set-up to clean up to parking and marching with the seniors. The concert band and choir perform as well.

While the ceremony is mostly festive, it’s also poignant.

“It is always bittersweet for me. It is a milestone for 200 people that I care about,” Principal Arty Tillett said. “But it is bittersweet in that I won’t see this group as a group again.”

All seniors are required to attend graduation practice Friday, June 12, at 9:30 a.m. Graduates should arrive no later than 6:30 p.m. for the commencement ceremony.

Parking for graduation will be available between the middle school and the softball field, if the ceremony is held outside. If graduation is held indoors, the student parking lot will be available.

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