On Tuesday, May 31^st, many members of the Class of 2016 gathered in the auditorium for Senior Awards Night.  They wore their graduation robes for the ceremony, which is the first of many festivities this week that lead to graduation.

The auditorium was packed with a supportive audience of family and friends.  According to senior Casey Cosgrove, “the ceremony was a great way to get the class together for one of the last few times before graduation and a great way to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments over the past four years.”

To open the ceremony, senior Isabel Allen addressed her peers and the large audience.  She spoke of her personal experience in her time at Hingham High School.  Isabel also spoke of how she had grown as an individual and what she felt she had learned.  She left her peers with a message to appreciate the differences of others and to learn from these differences.  Her speech was extremely eloquent and definitely spoke to everyone in the audience.

Following Isabel’s amazing address, Principal Girouard-McCann began to present the various awards to the seniors.  From her podium on the stage, she called the students in alphabetical order.  In a mannerly fashion and with some assistance from Hingham High teachers, the students crossed stage and accepted their awards from their respective Vice Principal, Mrs. Henriksen or Mr. Swanson.

Many students received awards for their performance in electives or foreign language.  For instance, seniors Josh Crosby and Evan Ayer received the “Best Thespian” award for Drama.  Students were also honored for their score on the National Latin Exam or for their performance on certain math contests.

Additionally, the students of the graduating class were awarded various scholarships from local organizations, such as Hingham Youth Soccer Referees.  According to Principal Girouard McCann, the seniors “received more than $350,000 in scholarships.”

After every student present had received his or her award, senior Sarah Milton delivered the closing address.  She informed the audience of her struggles with anxiety and how she had worked to overcome these struggles in the past four years.  Sarah then left her peers and the audience with a powerful closing message that no doubt stuck with her classmates in their final week together.  She reminded everyone that “life is what is happening right now”- a relevant message for a class that, right now, transitions from high school to college, work, or the military.