MONROE, CT — A rainstorm may have postponed Jockey Hollow Middle School and STEM Academy’s Recognition Ceremony on Monday, but the clouds broke by early Tuesday evening and a bright sun emerged, as well as patches of clear, blue skies.
The 250 eighth-graders comprising of the Class of 2025 basked in their achievements over the past three years, as their proud families cheered from the bleachers at Benedict Stadium Field.
Audrey Rylin Collins, who gave the commencement address, said despite sharing the same hallways, classrooms and academic challenges over the years, she and her classmates experienced middle school differently.
“There is no one way to experience middle school, no single definition of success or happiness — and that’s the beauty of it,” she said from behind the podium. “[We’re] different people carrying different lessons, different memories and different dreams. And here’s the twist, as different as we all are, we’re still going forward together.”
While embarking on their four years at Masuk High School next fall, Collins encouraged her fellow graduates to embrace their uniqueness.
“In those years ahead, we need to remember what middle school taught us — not just in the classroom, but in our hearts,” she said. “It’s okay to be different and someone else’s path doesn’t have to look like yours. Your uniqueness doesn’t divide us, it unites us. Because when we each bring our whole true self to the table, something amazing happens: we create a world that’s bigger, brighter and even more real.”
Collins thanked Jockey Hollow’s teachers for their guidance and “for seeing our potential even when we didn’t” and “our families” for their “love and patience through all the growing pains.”
The talents of Jockey Hollow’s students shined throughout the ceremony. The school band, led by Director Mark Bilotta, played “Pomp and Circumstance” as the administrators and graduates walked onto the field. Jackson Carter led everyone in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Eighth Grade Select Chorus, led by Director Amanda Morrison, sang the National Anthem.
Jockey Hollow Principal Julia Strong, Assistant Principal Laura Maher and Mark Schwarz, who is assistant principal and the STEM director, shared the stage with members of the Board of Education, teachers, Masuk Principal Steve Swensen, Superintendent Joseph Kobza and Assistant Superintendent Sheila Casinelli.
First Selectman Terry Rooney and State Rep. Tony Scott, R-Monroe, also attended the ceremony.
In her speech, Strong emphasized the importance of working together as a team.
“Each one of you has shown us you are capable of great things as individuals, both inside and outside of the classroom,” she said. “Your curiosity and compassion, your perseverance and your problem solving have been truly impressive. Yet some of the greatest accomplishments of this year happened in teams.”
Among Strong’s examples were Jockey Hollow’s dodgeball tournament teams raising over $2,000 for a Masuk scholarship in memory of JoAnn Supan, and the Student Activist Club’s beautification of St. Vincent’s Cancer Center.
Strong praised her school’s teachers, other staff members, as well as students’ parents who contributed to their success over the last three years.
“Remember, trusted adults are on your team too and you go forward on your journey surrounded by our support,” she said.
“Now you are ready to create your own teams in all your endeavors,” Strong said. “Choose your teams wisely, combining your power for good. Remember that your team depends on you. Embrace both the individual challenges and the shared opportunities that lay ahead and never forget the power you hold to inspire those around you.”
Embrace the discomfort
Kobza shared the story of his recent visit to his alma mater, Trinity College, and how the campus felt like home. But it wasn’t always that way.
“I remember it vividly, going to Trinity College in Hartford, and if you’ve ever driven I-84 East, you’ve probably seen it, the chapel and gothic dorms rising above the city skyline just past exit 45,” Kobza said.
“I remember the drive with my parents, the car packed, feeling the cautious excitement right up until Trinity came into view,” he continued. “That’s when the nerves kicked in. I suddenly wasn’t so sure about what lay ahead.”
Kobza told Jockey Hollow’s graduates they will experience some of the same feelings of uncertainty in their transition, when they go to Masuk next year.
“Here’s what I hope you remember,” he said. “It’s okay to feel unsure when you start something new. Growth never begins in your comfort zone, it begins just outside of it. Whether it’s learning your way around a new school, navigating more challenging classes, trying out for a team, joining a club or just making new friends, you’ll find that every bit of discomfort is an opportunity to stretch, learn and become more fully who you’re meant to be.”
“And here’s the good news: you’re ready for this,” Kobza said. “These past three years at Jockey Hollow and STEM have helped prepare you in ways that go beyond academics. So when that moment comes, and it will, when high school feels big and unknown, I hope you’ll remember it’s just the start of something important, just like my college became home over time, your high school journey will shape you in ways you can’t yet imagine.”
“Embrace the discomfort,” he said, “trust in your ability to adjust and know that with time, new places become familiar and new challenges become achievements.”
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Congratulations to Audrey Rylin Collins for your amazing speech. My prayer is that each student, parent and person who heard or will read could live by the words you spoke.
God bless