THE FIRST GRADS
Collegiate Charter School of Lowell holds first commencement
LOWELL — For the first time in its 10 years of being open, the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell held a commencement ceremony Thursday evening for a class of graduating seniors, some of which have been in the school since the very beginning.
Collegiate first opened its doors to students in 2013, at the time only having kindergarten through third grade. Every year since, the school added the next grade level as the oldest class progressed, until finally adding a 12th grade last fall. On Thursday, that oldest class of just 28 students finally walked across the stage to receive their diplomas.
“We were advised not to pursue building this school, yet, we each had a common dream that we pursued,” said Collegiate Charter School Board of Trustees President Walter Mcgrail. “Tonight as we watch each student receive their diploma, know that the entire Collegiate community, as well as all of your family and friends, are very proud of what you all have accomplished.”
Mcgrail then introduced former Lowell Mayor Bud Caulfield, who Mcgrail said was instrumental in getting Collegiate up and running in the early years.
Caulfield remarked that by completing their primary education and continuing on with their education, they are making society better for everyone.
“Make the city, the state of Massachusetts, the country a better place for your fellow generations,” said Caulfield. “Could you promise me that?”
City Councilor Vesna Nuon, one of the founding members of the school, praised the education the students received and the work they went through to complete it.
“Your education is powerful. It is the cornerstone for a successful future. Your future,” said Nuon. “Every one of you is a treasure to your parents, your teachers, your administrators and your community.”
Anna Jurek, an English language arts teacher who taught the graduating students through the years, gave a speech filled with references to the many literary works the students read throughout their tenure at the school, from Elie Wiesel’s “Night” to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.”
“Sophomore year, we stood together on the edge of Jay Gatsby’s dock, reaching our hands out to try to touch Daisy, to live for nostalgia. But Gatsby reminded us that we cannot repeat the past, no matter how much we may desire to relive the very best moments of our lives,” said Jurek. “Now we are marching closer to college, to careers, to change. The very ideas Gatsby was so afraid of. We are marching closer to the future, but we learned to be excited, not fearful, of what is to become.”
Then came the Class of 2023’s valedictorian Shiv Patel and salutatorian Kristine Patel, who opted to give a joint speech. Shiv Patel, who moved from Manchester, England, just a few years ago, praised the diversity of the small class, many of whom are first-generation Americans and will be the first in their families to attend college.
“I hear different languages and see different cultures every day. That is not the only diversity that is important. There is a diversity of different interests, from Lionel Messi to photography. A diversity of heights, from giants to ‘smurfs,’” said Shiv. “And a diversity of different backgrounds that make our community unique.”
Kristine Patel took the class down memory lane, recalling the first years of the school’s existence in the basement of the Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, and the journey to Collegiate finally getting a proper school building.
“From the church, to the modulars, to the Hellenic gym, to here. I’ll never forget the first day walking to the church building, not knowing what to expect, not knowing that this would be the next 10 years of our lives,” said Kristine Patel. “Through learning with headphones at the Hellenic to learning virtually during the pandemic, we have been through it all.”
Of the 28 students graduating, eight were honored specifically for being students since the school’s beginning: Seamus Crowley, Makarios Kitenda, Kristine Patel, Neel Patel, Sotara Rorn, Pablo De Souza, Brooke Taylor and Makayla Trainor.
After the students walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, City Manager Tom Golden gave the students some very pointed
advice for their futures.
“My advice is: under no circumstances, grow up,” said Golden, to laughter from the audience. “Stay in school as long as you possibly can.”
Golden continued, “When life starts to knock you down, fight to get back up. And when you are fighting to get back up and you need that support, look to people who have always helped you, the people right behind you right now.”
To facilitate the ceremonial “turning of the tassel”, the Class of 2023 voted for their classmate, Pablo De Souza, to give closing remarks for the ceremony.
“It is a moment filled with emotions, memories and a sense of accomplishment. Each one of us has worked tirelessly to reach this point, overcoming challenges and embracing opportunities to grow into the individuals we are today,” said
De Souza. “Graduation is not an end, but a new beginning. It is an invitation to embrace the unknown, to explore uncharted territories and to chase our dreams with unwavering determination.”
As De Souza closed it out, the students turned the tassels on their caps to the opposite side, and promptly threw them in the air as a group.
Board of Trustees Vice President Kathleen Mccarthy, another founding member of the school, said she felt in disbelief that 12 years of work to get the school open and bring it to a proper building finally led to this ceremony.
“Twelve years of thinking, ‘How are we going to make it work? How are we going to get Lowell to know that we are actually part of the community?’ That is why today is huge,” said Mccarthy. “After this program tonight here, I don’t know of anything more beautiful to have ever happened in the city of Lowell, with a group of young kids and parents that stayed with this.”