Return to Headlines
Celebrating the Class of 2017
Showing off their artistic and technical talents with colorful, 3-dimensional, and LED lit mortarboards, the Class of 2017 celebrated its graduation from Blackstone Valley Tech on June 1st.
Held inside Worcester’s Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, this year’s commencement ceremony celebrated 286 students from 13 towns who officially concluded their dual high school education by crossing the graduation stage and receiving their industry-recognized vocational certificates and diplomas.
Superintendent-Director Dr. Michael F. Fitzpatrick commended students for their academic achievement, technical prowess, community service dedication, and humility during their high school careers. He advised students to continue to pursue educational opportunities in all areas to become masters of lifelong learning.
“As you write your next story, be a curious seeker of adventurous learning. Acquire new skills and view the world as an ocean of opportunity,” Fitzpatrick said. “Recognize that occasional challenges and disappointment will likely be part of your journey, and strive to spread goodness wherever you go.”
The commencement ceremony also featured special addresses from student speakers including Valedictorian Max Mirageas, an Electronics and Engineering Technology graduate of Mendon, who praised the dedicated, hardworking Class of 2017 while simultaneously looking at the impact the future leaders will have on the world.
“I feel that the students in this room all possess the capability to make their lives something special, as long as they are willing to put in the necessary work,” Mirageas said. “With this mindset, our futures have the potential to be whatever great thing that we hope for them to be, and although it won’t be easy, the hardships will make the reward even better.”
Student Council President Grace Lemire, a Multimedia Communications graduate of Uxbridge, reminded her classmates that the memories made at Valley Tech were made possible by the people and culture that surrounded students, not the tangible materials provided to them.
“It became so clear to me that what I truly loved about BVT wasn’t tangible. It wasn’t about whether I liked the color of the walls in my history class, and it wasn’t about whether the floor was scuffed or my chair squeaked,” Lemire said. “It was about the moments. The memories. The people. The passion and love that exudes from the students and staff.”
In his Salutatorian’s address, Multimedia Communications graduate Erik Martus of Douglas told his classmates their diverse skills and experiences will help not only each individual student succeed, but also the people with whom the hardworking individuals come into contact.
“Why does our vocational education and the passions we've discovered matter? Though the notion is cliché they matter because we truly are the leaders of tomorrow. Not only these graduates, but graduating vocational students across the United States,” Martus said. “Our skillsets are robust and well-rounded, and they are applicable to settings far beyond the classroom. The skills we’ve honed make each of us desirable to our current and future employers.”
The Class of 2017 President Joseph Napolitano, an Electronics and Engineering Technology graduate from Upton, told students the “real world” is just the next challenge the graduates will face, and expressed his confidence in their ability to succeed.
“Four years ago all of us made the choice to accept the challenge of attending a technical high school, and tonight we have bested that challenge and stand ready to go out into the world and change it for the better,” Napolitano said.
After receiving their dual credentials, members of the BVT Class of 2017 were greeted outside the Hanover Theatre with cheers, balloons, and congratulations from hundreds of proud parents, guardians, family members, and friends.