“The rest is still unwritten.” These words from a popular song by Natasha Bedingfield from 2004 were also a recurring theme at Westport High School Saturday morning as its senior class of 90 students moved on to the next chapter of their lives.

“Today, as you sit here in your caps and gowns, you are closing one significant chapter of your life, preparing to open another,” school principal Laura Charette said.

School Committee chairman Evan Gendreau encouraged students to be grounded in the present while looking forward to the future.

“It’s good to look ahead, to set goals and think about what’s next. But don’t rush past the net, take time to reflect on all the hard work that it took to get here and cherish the moment.”

For some, the next step will be higher education. For others, it will be entering the workforce. But as class salutatorian Jaira Bernardo said, Class of 2025 grads will always have the memories that they shared together in this part of their lives.

“As we look back at our time in high school, I’m sure there’s a variety of memories. Some may bring tears and longing for a simpler time, while others will bring laughter.”

Bernardo spoke on her experience moving from Fall River to Westport before her freshman year. She said she was nervous about moving to a new town, but that everyone welcomed her with open arms and made her experience a good one.

Bernardo stayed with the theme of the future, stating, “This may be the end of our childhood, but it is the beginning of the rest of our lives.” Like Gendreau, she also encouraged her fellow students to live in the present.

Class president John Keane also reflected on his time in the Westport schools and the classmates he has known throughout his life, referring to each student as the author of their own book.

“Our class of authors shares a common bond. We have all experienced certain chapters of our lives in stages of school together.” Keane said.

He reflected on the shared experiences they went through, from being the first class to complete all four years at the new high school, to surviving the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting on the chapters of their lives, he talked about how they have all been there as supporting characters in each other's metaphorical book.

“We have all been other characters in our lives. Some more important and influential, and others played a less important role, yet they were still there to be part of our story.

Finally, before diplomas would be handed out, valedictorian Tess Silvia came up and thanked the whole community for their contributions to getting the class here.

“I found myself looking at pictures from preschool and saw many of the same faces,” Silvia said.

Quoting the aforementioned Bedingfield song, she encouraged her classmates to explore as they write the next chapter of their lives.

“My fellow explorers, I leave the map in your hands. It may be blank, but it is up to you to define your path.”

Meet the Class of 2025

Hannah E. Abrams

Simon E. Almeida

Noah W. Amaral

Josiah L. Bemis

Maverick A. Benoit

Cole H. Benson

Jaira B. Bernardo

Emma M. Bessette

Layla G. Bossie

Kacey A. Bouchard

Owen W. Boudria

Christopher E. Braga

Trevor R. Brissette

Gracey D. Burt

Jacob P. Calouro

Michael N. Camara

Joshua D. Carvalho

Lilian B. Carvalho

Travis J. Carvalho

Bryson R. Contreras

Javin J. Cordeiro

Ava K. Couto

Benjamin S. Cross

Jacob S. Cross

Kaiden J. DaPonte

Kayla M. DaSilva

Jayden M. Depontes

Jenna N. Egbe

Alexia F. Ferreira

Kailyn N. Ferreira

Luke J. Finglas

Maximus A. Gallant

Julia M. George

Henry T. Gillet

Alijah J. Gonzalez

Bryton B. Graham

Haiden H. Grant

Finnegan C. Hall

Emma I. Hathaway

Khyara M. Hill

Olivia Hok

Daniel J. Hughes

Connor R. James

John P. Keane

Dylan C. Kirby

Alex J. Krynicki

Devin A. Lavoie

Andrew J. Levesque

Zachary W. Lopes

Amber G. Malenfant

Viktor E. Martin

Brandon E. Medeiros

Hailey M. Medeiros

Samantha L. Medeiros

Karsyn L. Moniz

Mya E. Morrison

Magnus C. OiKarinen

Jaiden J. Oliveira

Logan C. Oliver

Nicholas D. Olson

Alexis L. Pacheco

Leandro D. Pacheco

Nyzaiah D. Pacheco

Dominick X. Paiva

Saumya N. Patel

Jayda L. Pequita

Adriannah E. Perham

Mackenzy L. Ponte

Luis A. Quezada Herrera

William D. Quinlan

Emma V. Rapoza

Faith O. Rebello

Samantha J. Rodrigues

Holly L. Roy

Max A. Schenker

Brady A. Silva

Tess M. Silvia

Colleen S. Smith

Christian M. Soares

Mason T. St. Martin

Ethan P. Stewart

Owen J. Sullivan

Zoey D. Sylvain

Aidan P. Thadeu

Jada M. Thurston

Jack F. Valton

Pixie S. Volton

Neil A. Walker

Allyson L. Ward

Cailynn A. White