There was no shortage of inspiration as the Mt. Hope High School Class of 2018 gathered for commencement on Saturday, June 9, at Roger Williams University Campus Recreation Center.

The ceremony began at noon as the graduating seniors — girls in white, boys in purple — entered the auditorium to music played by the high school band as well as claps and cheers from proud family members and friends.

Many students were all smiles as they took their seats, showing off caps decorated with glitter, lace and sayings such as, “We Made it Bro,” and “Infinity and Beyond,” and waited for the 24th ceremony since the Bristol/Warren School District merger to begin.

Class President Caroline Parker did not hesitate to welcome the crowd and congratulate her fellow classmates for their accomplishment.

Parker reminisced about her first day at Mt. Hope High School, how her calm, cool collective immediately vanished when she realized she had to give a speech to upperclassmen in her very first class of freshman year. The irony of being tasked to give a speech on her last day as a Mt. Hope Husky was not lost on her.

“Life is made of circles, and our time in Mt. Hope will always be a special time together,” Parker said, urging her fellow graduates to make new circles as they go off in different directions.

Vice President Margaret O’Brien also reflected on her time spent inside and out of the classroom, marveling at how the last four years allowed her to mature and grow. O’Brien compared the lessons she learned in school to that of an octopus she regularly cared for as part of her work duties at an aquarium. While she initially found the octopus’s constant attempts at escape irritating, she eventually grew to respect and even admire its persistence and will to explore the unknown.

“We are here because of our persistence,” O’Brien said. “Have the courage to follow your curiosities.”

After a snapping rendition of “Another Day of Sun” by Mt. Hope High School Jive, Valedictorian Ashley Tatum addressed the crowd with a different approach to her speech, admitting “in the spirit of honesty,” that she had resorted to Google in her attempt to come up with something unique. But after coming across nothing original, she realized that her time at Mt. Hope High School simply couldn’t be summarized in a few paragraphs. Instead, she left her classmates with a J.D. Salinger quote in an attempt to inspire all of them to think about their own ambitions moving forward.

“ ‘The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause,” Tatum quoted, “while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.’ ”

After the band performed a beautiful rendition of “American Riversongs,” Secretary Gillian O’Brien and Treasurer Eleanor Knapman announced the Senior Class Gift to be a new podium for the auditorium. Parker then passed the Baton of Leadership over to Class of 2019 Vice President Tess McKenzie.

Still, there were more words of wisdom to be shared with the current graduating class, as Principal Dr. Deborah DiBiase addressed her beloved students.

“I am so, so, so proud to be here, to celebrate you,” she said, offering them three little pieces of advice to carry with them as they enter the real world.

The first was to be kind — “kinder than is necessary”— in order to create significant impact from the smallest of gestures. After sharing a story of how the offer of a simple lollipop completely changed the course of two people’s lives for the better — a “lollipop moment” — Ms. DiBiase broke up the ceremony to have several of the graduating seniors hand out lollipops to the audience.

The second lesson was to continue to adhere to one of the school’s favorite mottos.
“Strengthen your core and get R.R.H.I.I.P’d,” Ms. DiBiase advised, touching on the importance of each theme: respect, responsibility, honesty, integrity, intellectual curiosity and perseverance.

Ms. DiBiase again put her speech on pause to acknowledge a student who exhibited exemplary examples of perseverance, calling to the stage graduating senior and winner of the 2018 Comeback Kid Award, Adam Thibault.

Thibault, who moved to the United States four years ago, remarked on how this day would not have been possible without the help of his school and getting the help he needed to battle anxiety and depression. He urged everyone in the audience to not be afraid to ask for help if they are struggling with mental health issues and left the stage to a rousing round of applause from his peers.

Ms. DiBiase then shared her last lesson for her students, which was to “dream big and be the change.” She congratulated them on the positive impacts they’ve already made in their community, from bringing back old traditions to kickstarting a GoFundMe page to create a graduation music video that was then played for the audience during the ceremony.

“You will be amazing. Now go save the world. I love you very much,” Ms. DiBiase said.

Along a similar vein, Superintendent Dr. Mario Andrade urged the Class of 2018 to discover their purpose and find power in moments. Mr. Andrade warned that it isn’t enough to have just a dream.

“ ‘A vision without a plan is just a dream. A plan without a vision is just drudgery. But a vision with a plan can change the world,’ ” he quoted.

As the winner of the 2018 Gardner/Burke Oratorical Competition, graduating senior R.J. Lima captivated the audience as he performed “Pale Blue Dot,” describing how the vastness of the universe and the miniscule role humans play in it should be no excuse to not act.

“It underscores the responsibility to be kinder to one another,” Lima cautioned.

Chairman Paul Silva posed a similar warning to the students, urging them that it is their responsibility to fix the world they’ve been handed.

“See if you can make the world better for the generation after you,” he challenged, encouraging them to put an emphasis on acceptance and spending quality time with loved ones in person and not through a screen.

At last, it was time for the Class of 2018 to receive their diplomas, many of whom stopped to hug Ms. DiBiase as they marched across the stage. Confetti and oversized beach balls were thrown in the air, and the entire crowd sang along to the school’s Alma Mater. Earsplitting applause followed the graduated class as they made their way out of the auditorium and into the real world, where there was no doubt they will inspire others with the lessons they learned at Mt. Hope High School.