ADAMS, Mass. — Before they went their separate ways on the final day of their high school careers, the 30 members of BArT's class of 2023 were reminded of the community they formed at the school.

 

"This class has always been about connections," Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School Principal Erin Hattaway told the crowd in the gymnasium. "Against all odds, you will connect with your community.

 

"It turns out life is a group work assignment."

 

Each in their own way, speaker after speaker reminded the graduates how good they are at working together and how close the class has become.

 

"I played two sports this year — not well, I will admit," senior Ndey Awa Touray said, drawing chuckles from the crowd. "This does not mix well with the fact that I don't like losing. I spent a lot of time during soccer and frisbee season fantasizing about quitting.

 

"However, there was always a fellow senior around the corner convincing me to stick it out a bit longer. Seeing the perseverance and determination and dedication they demonstrated convinced me. Did it make me a better athlete? I can't say it did. But these values influenced me."

 

In the ceremony's other senior reflection, Giordan Zavatter told his classmates that he shared their anxiety about what comes next after they graduate from BArT.

 

"But what I can tell you is that after being with these people for so many years and witnessing our bonds grow closer, these are some of the most in-depth and genuine people that you will ever meet," Zavatter said.

 

"Everyone here is going to leave an impact on the world for the better, whether that's being the next president of the United States or waving hi to a next door neighbor. These are the people that this world needs."

 

The class of '23 selected teacher Amy Wiles to give the commencement address — a fitting honor for an educator who told the crowd she taught most of the members of the class sixth-grade science on their first day at BArT and went on to teach them a class in four of their seven years at the school.

 

Wiles offered a theory on one reason why the class developed such strong ties.

 

"In March of ninth grade, COVID hit and changed our worlds, separating us and causing us to go completely digital," Wiles said. "You didn't come back into the building until April of your 10th grade year. And you sure did come back strong.

 

"You'd grown so much and, I think, missed each other so much that I think your bonds grew even stronger."

 

BArT Executive Director Jay White told the graduates that they would help make the world what they wanted it to be and would do so on a foundation helped shaped by their time at the school.

 

"At times, you're going to feel anxious," White said. "You're going to miss the surety and the dedication and even the love that you feel here at BArT.

 

"But take that image of the world that you want. Take hold of that anxiety and the uncertainty that you certainly will feel occasionally and use it to harness the imagination to fashion the world that you know that we need."

 

The 2023 graduates of Berkshire Arts & Technology Public Charter School