Message from the Principal pilgriM high school

My name is Toby Gibbons and I am the proud principal of Pilgrim High School and honored to speak to you today. I first want to recognize our distinguished guests: Superintendent - Ms. Lynn Dambruch Assistant Superintendent - Mr. William McCaffrey and other Central Administration attendees, thank you for your guidance, support, and willingness to listen. With your thoughtfulness and singular focus on our students and what is best for them, our schools are in great hands with the leadership to embrace any challenge of the future.

I would like to welcome our Mayor, The Honorable Mr. Frank Picozzi and School Committee members, David Testa, Shaun Galligan, Leah Hazelwood, Karen Bachus and Michelle Kirby-Chapman and thank them for the time and efforts to help our community strive for continual improvement with a student first mentality.

On behalf of the families and students of the Class of 2023, I would like to thank the wonderful faculty at Pilgrim High School, who I get the honor of calling my colleagues every day. Two members of the faculty have given more than their knowledge of academia, but their time, caring and so much more. Mrs. Sara Ames and Mrs. Cara Boudreau - please stand. These are the class advisors for the Class of 2023 who help the class with fundraisers, dances, school spirit ideas and wisdom. Thank you for all you did for these students over the past 4 years.

I would also like to thank my fellow administrators, Dr. Guerra, Ms. Bernardi and Mr. Fairbanks - Thank you for all you did and do for these graduates and how you have guided them throughout their 4 years.

There is zero chance today’s event and all other senior celebrations happen without three women who worked so hard behind the scenes. Thank you to Nisa SanGiovanni , Tiffany Napolillo, and Carolyn Fawe for your efforts and attention to detail which make all events so special.

Graduates - 13 years of getting you out of bed, dressing you, packing lunches, going to events, sports, concerts, helping with homework and putting you back to bed are not easy tasks. Please take a minute, stand, find your families and applaud them for all they did to get you here today.

On Wednesday afternoon after the senior assembly on their final academic day, I found myself walking and talking to one senior. We shared some small talk and he said, “I can’t believe this went so fast.” And it got me thinking about the transformation from being a 9th grader to a 12th grader and this experience we all go through.

9th graders are full of fear and uncertainty as you wander around the hallways - lost most of the time, confused about what class meets next. The 10th grade year is a time where you feel a part of your high school – more maturity, finding your place on a team, on the chorus, in the band, on a call list, in a club, and with a group of friends. 11th grade arrives with some of you starting to drive and you begin to take leadership roles and dream about what is next. Finally, 12th grade came in fast, you are the leaders of the school in every way. And you ran the school - BUT WAIT…that was my high school experience. Actually that was your parents, teachers and everyone who graduated from high school prior to the spring of 2020 - which was your 9th grade year. This was not your experience. Your experience was drastically different.

You were still wandering around the hallways a bit confused when we were all sent home in March. You were asked to turn on your computers and look at people through a screen - working independently for almost a year. In the spring of your 10th grade year, some came back to school with masks while others opted to stay home and continue virtual schooling. Your 11th grade year was still reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic and then tragedy, as Mr. Habershaw passed away suddenly in November. These sets of experiences define your first three years of high school distinctly different from ours. These experiences are not positive or what anyone wanted.

Famous educator Randy Pausch had a quote about experience that might help us look at these events differently. He said, “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” PAUSE Your first three years of high school are what no one wanted, but they happened. They are your experiences and always will be.

And what did you do with them? You built a sense of pride in your school and your class which we all desperately needed as we tried to put the past three years behind us while learning the lessons from them. Our school’s spirit was ignited by the leadership and maturity of this senior class. You cultivated and nurtured Pilgrim Pride and have set the groundwork for future classes to try and aspire to replicate. You took your experiences and used them positively.

Of the many quotes I found about experiences, many of them have a negative connotation stating that you have to journey through tough times to learn from them. But I will leave you with a quote from famous author Oliver Wendell Holmes which has a different spin to it. He wrote, “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” I hope your minds continue to grow and be open to new experiences. I want to thank you all for stretching my mind as to how strong and resilient a group of young people can be when faced with the likes of things we have never experienced before.

Please know, during YOUR 12th grade year, YOU came in fast, YOU were the leaders of the school in every way. And YOU ran the school, which is very similar to everyone in the audience who graduated before you. Thank you for the lessons you have taught me and remember to come back and visit to share your new experiences and never forget - Once a Patriot, Always a Patriot.

Pilgrim graduates were all given matching sunglasses. Here Breanna Campell, who plans to study art at Rhode Island College next year, accepts a pair from co-class advisor Srah Ames.