‘Growth Happens When You Choose Courage Over Comfort’: Accomplishments Abound as Salem High School Honors the Class of 2026

Salem High School confers 250 diplomas

WATCH | Salem High School Class of 2026 Commencement

SALEM (June 8, 2024) – Graduating classes are often celebrated as unique, distinguished and/or accomplished in commencement speeches, but the Salem High School Class of 2026 is well deserving of those labels. 

On a perfect late spring evening appropriate for the occasion, the SHS Class of 2026 was celebrated Friday night at Bertram Field for its many milestones:

• A record number of students enrolled (and thriving) in advanced placement (AP) courses.
• A record number of completed college applications and acceptances to the likes of Princeton University, Amherst College, Bates College, Berkeley College of Music and more.
• A record number of student involvement in Career Technical Education programs and applications to trade unions.
• MCAS scores surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
• State champions in music, fine arts and athletics.

“This class will hold the largest grad rate in SHS history at 95 percent,” SHS Principal Glenn Burns told the class. “You were committed to taking risks, even in the face of failure. Growth happens when you choose courage over comfort. Because of you, SHS had the largest percentile gains of any high school in the state over the last four years.”

Returning to Salem since he was named the Massachusetts Secretary of Education in March, former superintendent Dr. Stephen Zrike shared with the class a remarkable compliment he received during the boys basketball team’s run to the MIAA Division Division 3 State Championship.

“I was told that Salem has the most impressive student body in these playoffs,” he noted. “That’s why we got the primetime game. It happened because of the culture you created. You brought the community together whenever it needed you most. When the city needed a surge of optimism and pride.”

In describing the Class of 2026, Dr. Zrike also quoted Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen: “Our purpose on the planet as humans is to find joy, to find the joy in lifting each other up, by creating solutions together instead of destroying.”

Senior Class President Dwayne Stavros, who will attend the University of Maine this fall, lauded his classmates for the many different directions they were taking and showered praise and thanks, emotionally at times, on the influence of his educators at SHS and his family. 

“The last four years have been filled with success, lessons and memories,” he said. “But there are some people here that have made these years as successful as possible. Our class advisors have been instrumental in providing some of the changes that would make our experience at SHS unforgettable. The faculty and staff have been extremely supportive in creating an environment of positive change in four years.”

As he does each year, Mayor Dominick Pangallo reminded the Class of 2026 to remember their Salem roots, that Salem will always be their home. He also reminded the seniors to keep plowing forward.

“The world doesn’t need you to be perfect. It needs you to be willing,” he said. “You’ve learned to adapt, to keep moving forward. Courage doesn’t always look dramatic. Courage is sometimes asking for help. Courage is always trying. Your future is determined by what you choose to do next. Salem will always be your home and will always have your back.”

Salutatorian Rylan Workman, who will attend Princeton this fall, also spoke of the Artemis II mission as well as the two weeks he spent at sea a year ago, both of which held degrees of uncertainty. “The most important thing we’ve learned is that none of us has reached this milestone alone,” he said. “The future we’re stepping into tonight is uncertain. And that uncertainty can be frightening but exciting. It can also be liberating. If we are momentary flashes in a vast universe, then we should make those flashes count.”

While the accomplishments were echoed throughout the ceremony, valedictorian Eden McClain, who will attend the University of Massachusetts, expressed his gratitude for the subtle, more personal moments he experienced. “I won’t remember the test scores or the charts that the jazz band played to win gold at the competitions, the final score at the boys basketball Division 3 state championship. I won’t remember my final GPA,” he explained.

“I will remember meeting up with my friends to study for the AP physics exam. I will remember playing ping pong and Mario Kart all night,” he added. “I will remember the screaming in the bleachers, the tears on the court and the goosebumps on my arms as the boys basketball team, led by two senior captains and two senior starters, secured the state championship.

“Those are the kinds of moments I hope you will remember in 10 years too – the moments of connection, joy and impact, when our actions did service to ourselves and the people around us and we made them with no expectation in return. Those quick moments in between are the ones I hope you will remember.”

About Salem Public Schools

Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are all passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens we view all of our work through. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Salem Public Schools enrolls approximately 4,000 students across its eleven schools.