Roslyn High School marked its 119th Commencement Ceremony as the Class of 2025 officially graduated in front of proud family members, faculty, and friends on a day filled with gratitude and celebration.
Principal Scott Andrews opened the ceremony with parting advice for graduates stepping into a new chapter.
“Kindness is not a weakness,” Andrews told the crowd. “It’s a very potent strength. The world doesn’t need your perfection, it needs your presence.” He encouraged students to embrace adventure, keep an open heart, and say “yes” more often as they move forward.
Andrews also expressed appreciation for the school community and its shared spirit. “You are just getting started,” he said, closing his tenure at Roslyn with thanks for the memories made.
Devin Sakaria, president of the Roslyn High School Organization of Class Councils, injected humor and honesty into his address, recalling the transition to online learning during the pandemic.
“It was a timeout. Online school was a big shift,” Sakaria said. “But we persevered.” He emphasized the importance of collaboration and the resilience shown by students and teachers during unprecedented times.
Board of Education President Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy delivered a sweeping and deeply personal tribute to the graduating class. She emphasized the transformative power of gratitude and love, themes that echoed throughout the ceremony.
“Gratitude is not just a polite thank you,” she said. “It is a feeling that changes the one expressing it. It is recognizing the good, tangible and intangible, in our lives.”
Ben-Levy also reflected on love as a central force behind community, motivation, and education.
“Love is the reason we do most of what we do,” she said. “And it is what Roslyn schools are at their essence.”
She urged graduates to “take with you this love and gratitude. Keep it safely in your hearts. Let it propel you forward.”
Superintendent Allison Brown took a more introspective tone, encouraging graduates to understand the quiet power of knowing when, and when not, to speak.
“We live in a world where we are constantly encouraged to post, to speak, to react, to share every thought, to express every feeling. And while your voice is valuable, sometimes real strength lies in knowing when not to speak,” she said.
Brown advised students to remain silent in moments of anger or uncertainty, but to always speak up when it matters. “There is one moment when silence is absolutely the wrong choice,” she joked. “And that’s when your mother or father calls.”
Salutatorian Mia Streiner invoked “The Wizard of Oz” in her speech, comparing the graduates’ personal growth to the journeys of its iconic characters.
Streiner said, like the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, they believed they lacked something essential, only to discover they had it all along.
She celebrated the values of curiosity, courage and connection learned during their years at Roslyn.
“In a world revolutionized by AI,” she said, “we must lean into what makes us irreplaceably human, our questions, our compassion, our love.”
Valedictorian Lily Rosof reflected not on the accolades but the small, joyful moments that shaped her high school years, from spontaneous laughter in class to Halloween memories with friends.
“While these memories have shaped us, I know that what makes it special isn’t what we were doing,” said Rosof. “It’s who we were doing them with.”
Quoting the TV series One Tree Hill, Rosof left her classmates with a lasting message: “The rest of your life is being shaped right now with the dreams you chase, the choices you make, and the person you decide to be. The rest of your life is a long time, and the rest of your life starts right now.”
As the ceremony drew to a close, the overarching themes remained clear: resilience, connection and an enduring spirit of kindness. With diplomas in hand and eyes toward the future, the Class of 2025 stepped into a world that will remember them for how they lifted each other and how, even in challenging times, they led with gratitude and love.
