Toll Gate and Pilgrim graduates were given plenty of advice before crossing the stage to receive their diplomas in ceremonies Tuesday and Wednesday at CCRI, but only time will tell whether they will spend less time on their smart phones, live more than to make a living and step beyond their comfort zones to take on new challenges.

During the excitement of commencement – family and friends cheering wildly, last minute adjustments to caps and gowns, bouquets and both graduates and their admirers recording the occasion on their phones – 234 Toll Gate and 314 Pilgrim students received diplomas. High school principals told the Class of 2018 to be compassionate and kind and to plan ahead for the next chapter in their lives.

“I challenge you to be fearless and confident in how you move forward,” Toll Gate Principal Candace Calouri advised. “My hope is that we have helped prepare you for the next part of your lives. Don’t make excuses, make possibilities, make good choices about who you want to be and how to get there.”

The following evening, as he stood before the Pilgrim graduates, Principal Gerald Habershaw summed everything up in two questions:

“What do you want to do for the rest of your life, and what path do you need to take to get there?” he asked.

Calling the graduates “outstanding,” Habershaw spoke of how the school went through consolidation with the closing of Veterans High School last year and this year things moved smoothly ahead.

“I owe a great deal of gratitude to this senior class for their leadership and respect for others,” he said.

Listing everything from 24/7 news to numerous forms of social media, plus texting and email, Superintendent Philip Thornton pointed to how technology is dehumanizing.

“Sometimes it is this very technology that can take you away from what life is really all about – interacting with your friends and family without the aid of technology.”

He advised the graduates to be “a little less tech-obsessed,” spend face-to-face time with their family and friends and even buy a book and pay with cash.

Mayor Joseph Solomon urged the graduates not to forget those who have gotten them this far, asking them to stand and applaud their families and teachers. He also spoke of how experience prepares one to take on challenges, saying that his years on the City Council has helped him cope with the job of mayor that he assumed barely two weeks earlier.

He told graduates to stay true to their values and have faith in themselves and not to be consumed by their drive for a career or to make money.

“Do not become so obsessed with making a living that you forget to make a life,” he said to applause.

It’s not to say everything about the ceremonies was inspiring or ponderous. Quite the contrary.

One of those lighter moments came when Toll Gate Senior Class President Robert Lisi produced cupcakes for class officers as they stood on stage. Lisi hosts “Bobby Eats” on Snapchat, where he rates the food he is eating. Naturally, he asked his fellow class officers to comment on the cupcakes, which proved difficult, as their mouths were full and their cheeks bulging.

There were reflective moments, too, as captured by Toll Gate valedictorian Grace Reed. She spoke of the loss of Principal Stephen Chrabaszcz in 2016 and 16-year-old student Gianna Cirella, who died of sepsis, a blood poisoning, a year later.

Reed, who will be attending Brown in the fall, said Chrabaszcz put “the prince in principal” and assured that Gianna was looking down on the graduates and smiling.

“Loss will always be a part of our lives,” she said. The challenge is how to gain from it, she added.

“Responding to change is something we’ve been doing all our lives…and we’ll be called upon to do it for the rest of our lives. Sometimes, we can’t wait for change. And other times, change comes before we’re ready. But if we can learn to embrace it, to be excited by it and, ultimately, to know that we can handle it, we’re one step closer to making the most of our wild and precious lives.”

Pilgrim’s valedictorian Mackenzie Fraser talked about her love of watching and learning from those who follow their passions, citing family members and teachers.

“Passion drives dreams, and dreams drive success. Once you find the thing that you’re passionate about, grab on to it and never let it go.”

“My advice to all of you is to follow your passions. If you don’t like what you are doing, you don’t have to do it. Life is short, and you have to live it the best way you can,” Fraser said.

Graduating second, Sophia Carter urged her Pilgrim classmates to never be quiet, never stop listening and never settle. She spoke of how Pilgrim students pushed back against stripping the rights of special education students, spoke out at school committee meetings and walked out over school safety. She said the Pilgrim community has learned to dissent, “and that is something I hope we can carry with us in our futures.”

She asked that the class be active listeners as it “instills us with empathy” and not to settle “for less than we deserve.”

SET TO WALK:

Toll Gate Principal Candace Caluori makes final adjustments to the robe worn by Mayor Joseph Solomon. SUMMING IT UP:

Toll Gate Salutatorian Natalie Mann summed up the gist of her speech to classmates on her cap. TRYING TO GET A GLIMPSE:

With phones and cameras at the ready, family and friends scan the graduates as they file into the field house at the Knight Campus of CCRI. A NEW CHAPTER:

Wearing a slightly apprehensive expression, Toll Gate graduate Kessandra Helen Regine joins her classmates at commencement exercises Tuesday. AT ATTENTION:

With arms over their hearts, the Toll Gate Chorale, under the direction of Rico Royster, sang the National Anthem to open the ceremony. FOCUSED:

Toll Gate grad Merrick Thomas Leach realized a photographer was training a camera on the class and gave a smile. TIME TO EAT:

Toll Gate senior class president Robert Lisi handed out cupcakes to his fellow class officers and snapped a selfie during the ceremony. A TEACHER’S PRIDE:

Toll Gate teacher Whitney Biafore congratulates Daniel Scott Brodeur after crossing the stage and receiving his diploma.