The Alternative Press

LIVINGSTON, NJ - Laughter, memories and applause filled the Livingston High School Fitness and Wellness center Thursday afternoon as the class of 2012 celebrated their commencement ceremony.

The 401 graduates escaped the extreme heat when graduatioin was moved indoors instead of outdoors as originally planned. Out of the 401 students, 61 students received academic medallions, marking a grade point average of 4.0 or higher. This year’s ceremony marked the 56th commencement for Livingston.

The sea of green and white crested with many impressive and intelligent students. One included salutatorian Peter Yao, who will attend Princeton University in the fall. Yao’s speech entertained the crowd, as they laughed and cheered loudly for him. However, he did send an important message about time and memories.

“This place for four years if not defined us but at least changed us,” he said. “Time is trivial as long as memory persists. No distance is ever too far for memories.”

Valedictorian Zachary Lustbader delivered a memorable speech as well. Lustbader will attend Harvard University this fall. He told his fellow classmates that change could be a good thing.

“We can use each ending as a new beginning,” he said. “Embrace the change that comes.”

Principal Mark Stern also urged the students to embrace change and encouraged them to try new things. In his first year as principal of Livingston High School, he spoke of all the changes that the senior class had helped bring to the school. Stern said he hopes these changes will become tradition. He sent his best wishes to the graduates,
calling them trailblazers.

“Change is a part of life, or more so, life is change,” he said.

Dr. Brad Draeger, superintendent, helped bring the ceremony to a close by telling the students what changes have occurred over their lifetime. During the time they were in first grade, Wikipedia was created; in fourth grade, Facebook; and in seventh grade, the iPhone came out. He also told the graduates to be leaders by example.

Before throwing their caps in the air, the last presentation given was by Joshua Fleishman, a senior class officer. He said communication was vital at Livingston and thus the senior class gift is a new LCD board for outside the school.

As caps were tossed to the ceiling, the crowd cheered for the graduates’ accomplishments and for luck in the challenges to come.