Season’s spirit shines brightly at graduations

Posted 6/9/15

Now well removed from a brutal winter and with the official start of summer just weeks away, Rhode Islanders find themselves again amid a moment of change.

This time of year always carries a sense …

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Season’s spirit shines brightly at graduations

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Now well removed from a brutal winter and with the official start of summer just weeks away, Rhode Islanders find themselves again amid a moment of change.

This time of year always carries a sense of possibility, the promise of sunny days and warm nights spent surrounded by friends and family. Life, in some respects, begins to slow down as temperatures rise, and the sounds of playing children fill playgrounds and neighborhoods.

Weddings, vacations, trips to beaches and clam shacks lie ahead. These are the weeks and months many of us most anticipate and cherish. The coming bustle of fall and chill of winter can, for at least a while, be put out of mind.

Nowhere, though, does the season’s spirit shine as brightly as during graduation ceremonies at local colleges, universities and high schools.

For our communities, graduation serves both as a means of measuring time and a chance to express collective pride. Each class reflects the character of its city, town or school, as well as the years of effort and love put in by families, neighbors, educators and others.

Clad in caps and gowns, the young people being celebrated serve as the most tangible realization of our collective hopes for the future. In this sense, graduation binds us together as much as any shared celebration on the calendar.

For the graduates, the moment also becomes a time of reflection – on where they’ve come from, and where their journey has yet to lead. Connections and friendships forged in youth will carry on, but paths will diverge in countless directions. Inevitable partings can make the occasion bittersweet. But there are new bonds to build, and undiscovered opportunities to pursue.

To those who have received diplomas or will in the days to come, we extend our congratulations. We wish you success and happiness in all your endeavors.

As for our communities – parents and guardians, teachers and administrators, coaches and tutors, neighbors and loved ones – we applaud you, once again, for a job well done.

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