Melrose High seniors raise the roof at commencement

Senior Gina Caruso loses her cap - but not her diploma - during the
Melrose High graduation.

By: Travis Andersen
Town Correspondent

The Class of 2009 at Melrose High School held graduation on Friday in the middle school gym next door, a first for the town because of rain.

About 750 relatives packed the gym, with a spill-over crowd watching on closed circuit television in the auditorium downstairs.

"This should be fun," said Mayor Robert Dolan before the ceremony.

The class had its share of fun during the speeches, cheering for friends and batting around two inflatable balls, which drew a light rebuke from principal Joseph Dillon.

"Please put the balloons or the beach balls where they belong, which is not in the air," he said, before praising seniors for their achievements in the classroom, on the playing fields, and in the arts.

"This roller coaster ride is coming to an end, and you helped make it a memorable one," he said.

Valedictorian Jocelyn Zajac, who will attend the University of Delaware in the fall, urged classmates to cherish their high school memories but also to reach new heights.

"Don't let sitting in the middle school gym be the climax of your lives," she said.

Graduate Yancy Brown attended Melrose High through the METCO program, a state initiative helping students from low-income areas attend school in other districts.

He said his teachers and coaches gave him the tools he'll need to succeed in the fall at Suffolk University.

"I didn't know that this place was going to be my second home," said Brown, who plans to study accounting and political science en route to a career as a tax lawyer.

Senior Katherine Hartigan said in her farewell address that graduation was exciting but tinged with a little sadness.

"Whatever we choose to do, we do so in an ever so bittersweet manner," she said.

Other speakers included Superintendent Joseph Casey, School Committee Chair Christine Casatelli, and senior Samantha McGrail, the master of ceremonies.

The Melrose High School Band played "Pomp and Circumstance" and the national anthem at the outset, as well as "Stars and Stripes" during the recessional. The school chorus sang a tune entitled "Time to Say Good Bye" after the valedictory address.

Members of the Class of 2009 - totaling 224 - received over 140 scholarships from the Melrose High School Permanent Scholarship Fund, which is backed by local businesses and civic groups.

Senior Jenny Samuelson received two awards through the fund, including a performing arts scholarship. She plans to study musical theater at Johnson State College in Vermont.

Clad in her white cap and gown, Samuelson could hardly contain her enthusiasm before the ceremony.

"It feels wonderful," she said. "I feel like a white goddess."

Melrose High School grads pack the middle school gym, along with relatives.