SOUTH HADLEY — Nerves bubbled behind the smiles of South Hadley High School graduates moments before commencement began Friday evening.

Isabella Sotiropoulous and Hayden Brown worried about tripping on the steps. Gracie Levreault was already missing the tight-knit community she was about to leave behind. Mars Lambert felt the weight of his adolescence coming to a close.

“I’m happy that we’re graduating, but it’s just bittersweet to see that we’re all growing up and going our separate ways,” Abigail Ngure said.

Yet once the 106 graduates crossed the stage at Mount Holyoke College’s Richard Glenn Gettell Amphitheater, the rambunctious, silly and vibrant spirit of the Class of 2026 brightened an otherwise cloudy day. The fortitude demonstrated by these students helped carry them through 12 years of rigorous education, and will continue to bolster them throughout their lives.

“Our district often uses the phrase ‘stronger together,'” Superintendent Jennifer Voyik said. “Tonight, as I look at this graduating class, I see exactly what that means. You are stronger because of the people who supported you. South Hadley is stronger because of the mark you have left here, and wherever you go next, your communities will be stronger because of what you bring to them.”

That sense of connection was evident throughout the ceremony, in both the heartfelt moments and the humor that defined the class.

Bear hugs nearly knocked South Hadley High School Assistant Principal Patrick Lemieux off his feet. Valedictorian Ibrahim Salloum worked feedback on classroom temperature control into his speech. And every graduate reluctantly admitted that their elementary school lessons in cursive writing had been lost to time.

“We all have the same sense of humor,” Caiden Drohan said. “Honestly, I would say we’re all a bunch of trolls.”

Between the jokes that peppered Friday’s ceremony were pensive moments of reflection. The class left its mark on South Hadley Public Schools early, becoming the first students to walk the halls of the new Henry J. Skala School, formerly Plains Elementary School. But its legacy extends beyond a school building. Students advocated for their school community both locally and at the State House, where they pushed lawmakers for better school funding.

“You demonstrated that advocacy is not just about speaking up,” South Hadley High School Principal Elizabeth Wood said. “It’s about standing together, listening with empathy, and working towards something better. That strength and determination will serve you well long after tonight.”

This gusto and courage did not come without growing pains. Salutatorian Allison Fleury and Class President Colin Zraunig both once feared public speaking, but overcame those fears to deliver final words of advice to their classmates.

Zraunig, in particular, recalled suffering panic attacks as a child whenever he took the stage or found himself in a crowd. Since then, he has worked hard to overcome those fears and now speaks comfortably at Town Meetings, standouts and even on Beacon Hill.

“I was always the shy kid, the introvert, naturally wanting to keep to myself and stay quiet in the background,” Fleury said. “But every day I wake up and try to challenge this instinct. I try to put myself out there, meet new people, make new friends, and say yes to opportunities that scare me, and that’s what I want to encourage all of you to do.”

A lifetime seemed to have passed since that first day at Skala School, Salloum said, and those 50 million seconds had helped shape a unique path for each graduate.

Among South Hadley’s flourishing forests and winding cul-de-sacs, Salloum formed connections with peers he passed in the hallways and found comfort in the smell of coffee and chemicals in science teacher Matthew Benoit’s classroom. In a world dominated by technology, he said, it was the people “who are willing to be selfless in selfish times” who gave him a sense of community.

“It’s OK to forget my name and forget the year, it’ll just blur together graduation after graduation. But please, we live in a world that profits from the distance between us,” Salloum said. “Find the people who are different from you, the people you’ll share difficult conversations with. Sit with them the way I wish I had sat with more of you.”

As the last seconds of high school ticked away, the graduates prepare for what’s next.

Lambert, who participated in seven music ensembles during high school, plans to take his love of music with him to Suffolk University as he pursues a career in law. Brown will become the third generation in her family to practice nursing, while Ngure will join her in nursing classes at Holyoke Community College. Levreault will head farther from home to Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, where she plans to study finance and commercial real estate.

“None of us know exactly what comes next, but these past four years have shown us that we’ve more prepared than we give ourselves credit for,” Student Council President Nya Braithwaite said.

South Hadley High School Class of 2026: Huthaifah Khuram Abbasi, Anthony Joseph Adams, Ari William Alatalo, Trevor Archambault, Rubie Benoit, Michael Berneche, Gavan Bernier, Leah Bobrowski, Nye Jade Braithwaite, Hayden Riley Brown, Madison Rose Bruso, Ana Bustos, Yair Cantu Salazar, Noah Raymond Carillon, Colby Garett Carleton, Gavin Roman Carpenter, Logan Carpenter, Renzo Lavoe Carrero, Eli R. Cestero, Lilliana Marie Chandler, Devon Noelle Cote, Meredith JoAnn Craven, Viviana Isabella Daniele, Adrian DeBeer, Brady James Denniston, Saydee Marie Dewey, Michael Fredrick Doerpholz,William Drew, Caiden Joseph Drohan , Rejoice Ebai-Bate, Jackson Erali, Jenessa Figueroa, Allison Sofia Fleury, Benjamin Gillis, Matthew Gray Gillis, Elise Claire Gingras, Anastazia Gonzalez, Matthew Goudreault, Michael Anthony Goudreault, Like Gordon Guile, Molly Beth Cliodhna Haynes, Meave Judith Healy, Jhaymhar Manlulu Henry, William J.A. Henson, Memphis Huertas, Isiah Stevens James, Brandon Jarry, Nicholas Jimenez Herrera, Brea Ann Johnson, Brayden Koske, Mars Elias Lambert, Cooper Robert Lavelle, Patrick John Lavelle, Gracie Marie Levreault, Mallory Elizabeth Levreault, Olivia Gail Lorenz, Gavin James Losty, Joshua M. Lucas, Logan J. Luis, Colin M. Lumb, Ryan MacGregor, Gwen Marion, Ethan Wallace Markham, Miguel Angel Martinez Lebron, Josiah S. Mateo, Devon Elizabeth McFarland, Nathenal Ryan McMains, Jaime Medina, Alivia Logan Menard, Alex Mendoza, Justin Richard Moskal, Haroon Nasir, Zander J. Nepal, Ryan Thomas Netkovick, Abigail W. Ngrue, Brook Elizabeth O’Neill, Kaan Efe Ormanci, Lily Orsman, Jaydian L. Ortiz Rivera, Grace Maeve O’Shea-Griffis, Sadie Parnell-Gregoire, Ainsley Petell, Caden Peterson, Steven Plotniak, Sofie Rose Eleanor Quinn, Jasiel A. Ramos, Kiana Lee Ramos, Quinlan Randall, Kaylee Marcela Renski, Emma Lynn Roberts, Jameson Roy Sabourin, Ibrahim Salloum, Kayden Grey Salters, Ilaissa Liz Sanchez, Logan Michael Sochocki, Griffin Kevin Soderbaum, Isabella Sotiropoulous, Milana Stefoglo, Brianna Elizabeth Teixeira, Emerson Albert Thompson, Abdias Vargas, Natalie Wells, Tovah Blair Woldorf, Logan C. Wolowicz, Eli W Yakovlev, Colin Patrick Zraunig