Beekmantown — Beekmantown High School held its Class of 2025 commencement June 27, with district staff and student speakers highlighting scholarship totals, community service projects and student honors.

A school staff member who opened the ceremony said the class earned $54,050 in direct scholarships and, when merit awards are included, a total of $868,050. “It’s the heart you’ve shown your community,” the staff member said, noting student volunteer initiatives during the pandemic.

The ceremony listed academic and program achievements in detail: 39 honor graduates; 53 advanced-regents diplomas; one mastery in mathematics and 21 masteries in science; 60 regents diplomas; 10 seals of biliteracy (eight in one language, two in two languages); nine seals of civic readiness; 42 students who participated in CV Tech career and technical programs; 14 advanced-regents designations with a CTE endorsement; and two students who received a CV Tech CTE award of excellence. The transcript does not specify the sources of the scholarships beyond the totals given during the ceremony.

Estefania Aguilar Oropeza, one of the student speakers, urged classmates to use their voices in public life. “Speak the truth, not with disdain or provocation, but with a calm conviction and unwavering grace,” she said. Ozzie Comer, another student speaker, described the class’s tight-knit support networks, saying those communities “transcended just a classroom.” Joshua Sam, the final student speaker, asked classmates to treat memories as “guiding lights for the future.”

Principal Matthew Bezayo addressed graduates and families, praising students’ resilience and urging them to pursue their goals. “You are braver than you believe, smarter than you think, and stronger than you seem,” Principal Bezayo said.

Diplomas and credentials were presented by the school’s counseling team; the ceremony included remarks, musical performance by the senior band under director Karen Burnett and the formal graduation proclamation referencing the New York State Department of Education. Senior class president Alexander Paris led the traditional tassel turn toward the end of the ceremony.

The ceremony included numerous individual diploma presentations naming students and their next steps; examples cited in the ceremony included multiple students reporting plans to attend the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Ithaca College, Harvard University and other colleges, as well as a number of students entering the workforce or military service. The transcript records each named diploma presentation but does not provide a consolidated list of every postsecondary destination in a single statement.

The event emphasized community service (the student-created Eagle Care initiative during the pandemic was cited), academic achievement and the variety of post-graduation pathways. The transcript does not specify the issuers or funders of the scholarships beyond the totals announced during the ceremony.