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Greece Athena confers diplomas on Class of 2025; speakers emphasize character and resilience
Summary
Greece Athena High School held a commencement ceremony in which district leaders conferred diplomas on the Class of 2025 and speakers — including the superintendent, principal and student orators — urged graduates to respond to setbacks with character and perseverance.
Greece Athena High School held a commencement ceremony at which leaders from the Greece Central School District conferred diplomas on the Class of 2025 and several speakers urged graduates to meet setbacks with character and persistence.
Principal Jason Fulkerson welcomed the audience and lauded the class’s support network, saying graduation “is truly a team effort” that reflects parents, teachers and staff. He repeated a phrase he has often used to students: “true character is who you are when eyes are not watching.”
Why it matters: the ceremony marked the formal conferral of secondary diplomas by the Greece Central School District and served as a public recognition of students’ completion of district and state requirements. District and school leaders used the podium to offer guidance to graduates as they begin college, military service or the workforce.
Most of the event consisted of prepared remarks and student speeches. Superintendent Jeremy Smolin, speaking at his first Greece Athena graduation as superintendent, told graduates that “life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it,” urging them to choose attitude and perspective when facing adversity.
Valedictorian Angelina Tartaglia, who will attend the University of Tampa to study political science on a pre-law track, reflected on the Class of 2025’s pandemic-era experience and encouraged classmates to value progress over comparison. “Dear class of 2025, we did it. Congratulations,” she said.
Salutatorian Cam Cook, who plans to study cybersecurity at Saint John Fisher and to enlist in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, focused his remarks on the idea of legacy: “You walking across this stage today isn't what you'll be remembered for. It's the relationships and the connections you developed along the way.”
Shamani Gibbs, who will attend Nazareth University to study nursing, closed the student remarks with a call to perseverance, quoting a line from Finding Nemo: “just keep swimming,” and urging classmates to keep moving forward despite setbacks.
Board of Education President Sean McCabe formally conferred the diplomas. A district official read that the class “has met all of the requirements set forth by the New York State Department of Education and the Greece Central School District Board of Education,” and McCabe declared that, by the authority vested in him by the state of New York, he conferred the secondary school diplomas on the qualified members of the Class of 2025.
The ceremony included announcements of graduates’ post‑graduation plans and presentation of the class roster by the senior class counselor. Organizers asked the audience to remain respectful while graduates crossed the stage so that each name could be heard.
The event concluded with closing remarks, recognition of staff and volunteers, and instructions for families to remain seated until all graduates had exited the auditorium.
