MIDDLETON — Their experience at North Shore Technical High School does not have a shelf life, Danvers Town Manager Wayne Marquis told graduates .
"The education you've received is a profoundly important gift. It is your tool for the trade," Marquis said. "The nice thing about this gift is that it is one that won't be outdated in six months like so much of our technology is these days. It won't be replaced in a year or so by something with glitzier graphics. It is yours forever."
Marquis was the guest speaker at North Shore Tech's ceremony last Friday in Middleton. Parents and grandparents, siblings and friends gathered in the gymnasium to proudly watch as 105 seniors from communities throughout the North Shore received diplomas.
The town manager in Danvers for three decades, Marquis has also been instrumental in coordinating the planned merger of North Shore Tech, Essex Agricultural and Technical High School and Peabody Vocational High School at a new state-of-the-art facility in Danvers.
"There is a place for you in the workforce because you have taken the time and expended the energy and prepared yourselves for a very bright future," Marquis said.
North Shore Tech combines academic and vocational learning. Graduates can leave as a certified nurses assistant, a licensed hairdresser, a certified technician in computer networking or collision repair, or be well on their way to becoming an electrician, mason, carpenter, auto mechanic or chef.
Valedictorian Brian LeBlanc of Salem highlighted the value of the opportunities his school offered.
"We have learned vocational and academic knowledge as well as responsibility, pride in one's work and perseverance," he said. "No matter what each of us decides, we will know that we have what it takes to overcome any hurdle."
Higher education, pursuing their trade or military service come next for graduates. Their joy last night was tempered by a moment of silence and a poem read in honor of Paula Thurber Holm, the senior class advisor who passed away in March.
"Tonight, your adult life begins and with that comes responsibilities and demands," Superintendent Amelia O'Malley said.
But the graduates are prepared to face the challenges presented by this transition, said Andrea Dagley, the senior class president from Gloucester.
"Disconcerting as leaving is," she said, "we are ready."
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