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2007 MANCHESTER HAWKS ARE READY TO FLY
 | | Manchester Township High School Class of 2007. |
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MANCHESTER- Overcast skies and chilly temperatures didn't dampen Hawk spirit at the Manchester Township High School graduation ceremony on June 14. Speakers characterized the Class of 2007 as spirited, caring, dedicated and accomplished. They were the first freshman class to enter the school after the new building addition in the fall of 2003 and the first MTHS class to achieve the highest HSPA scores in Ocean County last year.
After the graduates entered in two columns of blue and gold, Student Government Executive Board Vice President Andrew Fullerton led the flag salute. Senior class President William Meaney welcomed family, friends and staff, thanking them for their support over their school years. He told his fellow graduates, "We will always be Hawks," and explained that the root of the word hawk means to grasp or seize. "Fellow classmates, grasp and seize this moment of accomplishment and be proud of yourself. Grasp this moment, because after today, we will fly our separate ways into the world."
 | | Student Government Executive Board President Kalie Zakar delivers her farewell address. |
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Salutatorian Kathryn Grosso
said there is an oft-uttered
phrase about high school, ''these are the best years of
your life.'' She lamented, "Oh God, please let that not be true! Because high school just can't possibly be the best years of our lives, and to argue that our happiness has peaked at such a young age is just simply an erroneous proposition."
Grosso concluded by telling her classmates, "Our lives have only just begun and who knows what wonderful things lie ahead. So here's to the best years of our lives: the years that are to come!"
Valedictorian Michelle Del- Conte likened the class of 2007's high school years to a visit to an amusement park, starting out as freshmen wandering around, confused in the house of mirrors and ending up as seniors, facing the challenge of the monster coaster. "As graduating seniors, we have hit the top of our first summit. We have just barely begun this roller coaster of life yet already it seems like quite a ride." DelConte said that as she contemplated what advice she could possibly give her fellow graduates, she realized a common thread linking them all. "Over these past four years, all of us, at one time or another, has tried to fit in," she said. "By doing so, at one time or another, each and every one of us has compromised the very person we are. This ceremony, however, gives us a chance to wipe the slate clean, to find the person we really are, the person we really want to be. In the words of E.E. Cummings, 'It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.' "
 | | Salutatorian Kathryn Grosso addresses the MTHS Class of 2007. |
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Class officers William Meaney, Brielle Balsamo, Oprah Kumah, Jonathan Moroz, Carlos Rivera and Carly DiDonna presented thank you gifts to their class advisors, Mrs. Erica Martucci and Mrs. Lynette Renda, who is recovering from surgery and was unable to be at the ceremony.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. William E. DeFeo urged the graduates to "have the courage to be the kind of person you want to be, not what other people tell you you should be. Maintain those values of love of family, patriotism, integrity and service to others."
Board of Education President Mary Walter addressed the graduates with congratulations and best wishes before Mr. Walling officially presented the class for the awarding of diplomas.
After all the graduates' names were called, Student Government Executive Board Secretary Ahmed Elzayzat and Treasurer Brianne Faynor led the graduates in the traditional changing of the tassels from left to right.
Student Government Executive Board President Kalie Zakar made the closing address, telling the graduates, "Our class, whether you realize it or not, has made a huge impact on the school. It is said we are the most spirited class to enter and leave MTHS…we have changed the school for the better as a whole. Now it is our turn to take what we have learned from here and change the world, make the world we live in a better place."
MTHS Principal David Walling told parents, "You took a great leap of faith 13 years ago when you sent your young child off on the big yellow school bus to kindergarten, lunch box in tow. You said to the educators who were waiting at the other end, 'Here, I entrust to you my most cherished possession for the next 13 years, seven hours a day, but when I get them back, I expect a well educated, highly capable, independent young adult who is capable of being successful
in an ever changing world.' …Well,
parents it's been a great run but guess what - they're back! That's right, tonight we give
them back to you and I am confident you will be pleased with the finished product. These Hawks are ready to fly!"
Dismissing the class of 2007 for the last time, Walling told the graduates, "We believe in you and in your ability to make a difference. Fly proudly Hawks!"
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