Dream big, Chazy Central Rural School graduates

CHAZY — A banner with the words 'Been dreaming of this' hung above the heads of 38 Chazy Central Rural School graduates Friday, June 26 during the school's 97th annual commencement ceremony. Jenissa Yang, whose scholastic achievements led faculty and staff to select her to speak, delivered the senior address to her fellow graduates. Yang focused on the bond she and her classmates shared. Yang symbolized the relationship with a coralburst crabapple tree they recently planted in the school's courtyard. "If you look at our tree closely, there is a scar that looks like two individual pieces have been glue together to make one tree," Yang said. "The coralburst crabapple does not exist in the form of a seed. It uses the bottom half of a crabapple tree and the top half of a blossom tree grafted together to create it. "Doesn't this sound exactly like something our class would do? We don't accept no as an answer. We find a way to make our ideas happen." Although Yang and her fellow graduates will travel to different places and meet new people, none of them will share the same bond that was created at Chazy Rural Central School. "Our ties will always remain deep in our heart, just like the roots of our coral tree," she said. Yang was not the only one who felt this way about her close relationship with her classmates. "I'm probably going to miss being in such a small class and knowing everybody," said graduate Adam Knight. "And the small community setting, I'm going to miss that a lot." Knight will join the Marine Corps post graduation. But he wasn't the only one with big plans. The ceremony continued with scholarships and incentive awards presented by superintendent John Fairchild. Kallie McGrath racked up an abundance of awards, particularly the Berkeley College Honors Scholar Program Scholarship. She will attend Berkeley College in Manhattan for the Fall 2015 semester. Samuel Edward Christiansen-Provost was also awarded with multiple scholarships, including the Ithaca College Leadership Scholar Award and the Ithaca College Access Grant. He will study sports medicine at Ithaca College in the fall. The Chazy Rural Central School class of 2015 has accumulated $491,212 in grants and scholarships, according to Fairchild. "Even though we will not be together every day, we will always still be together, said Yang. "We will grow new leaves and blossom each year, strong because of our roots we planted together 13 years ago." The class of 2015 is well prepared to handle the joys and challenges that await them because of the small tight-knit community they reside in, said English teacher and class of 2015 advisor Kathryn Brown. "The students [have] become a family. Most have grown up together and many will remain friends for life."

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Dream big, Chazy Central Rural School graduates

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