This week approximately 1000 teenagers graduated from Newton’s two high schools.
Last night’s Newton South graduation was a wonderful breath of fresh air. Gathering together with a few thousand real and in-the-flesh people to celebrate our kids’ accomplishments and the end of this chapter of their lives was a real treat. From the endless sea of smiles in that crowd – of students, teachers, family, and friends it was clear that this was an especially joyful public event after being locked away in our private worlds for the last 15 months.
Congratulations to all of Newton’s graduating seniors (including my own) and best of luck with whatever happens next on your life’s journey.
I’d like to give a special shout-out to my neighbor and friend Imani Fonfield, Newton South’s student speaker yesterday evening. Imani gave a wonderful, poignant, and moving speech (starting at 16:20) about “home” – about her mother and her being homeless as she entered the Newton elementary schools and then realizing 12 years later she had found her “home” – at Newton South, in the community, and in the world. Congrats to you Imani for delivering that wonderful and no doubt difficult speech. Best of luck at Harvard. They will be very lucky to have you.
Feel free to give a shout-out below to your favorite Newton graduate.
Congratulations to Newton South graduate Jayla Reilly. You are one remarkable young woman full of decency, smarts, curioisity … and surprises. Jalya’s heading off to Fashion Institute of Technology in Seoul, South Korea for two years, then two more at FIT NYC. That was one of her many surprises sprung on her unsuspecting parents ;-)
Thank you Jerry for starting this, your daughter sounds amazing, independent, and I can feel that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Congratulations to my granddaughter Viveca Winston Khan, Newton South graduate, very proud of the young women she has become.
Excited about the award she received for her exemplary display of sportsmanship, ethics and integrity as a captain of girls varsity indoor track. She is smart, caring, has a great sense of people and well prepared as she heads to Colby.
Since we are on the topic of applauding our own I would like to golf clap my son, Adam. What he accomplished this past school year deserves a book deal. He will never read this blog so I’ll provide all the details.
When the virus shut down schools in March 2020 he told my wife and I he wasn’t sitting home. Because the school was so unfamiliar with zoom teaching he found a job with Doordash and Amazon. I asked him the other day about his final months of Junior year and he said, “I learned how to use zoom and nothing else.”
Last summer he started with Amazon full time delivering 150 packages a day. The money he was making was split between his savings acct and Amazon stock. When school resumed in Sept he was promoted to a regional district manager. Nice title for a just turned 18 year old. At that time, he told us “I’m a virtual student this year. I’m not going back ever” My wife and I made a deal with him. If he received anything lower then an “A” aka 87% he had to quit his job. Well he just graduated with straight A’s for his entire senior year. Furthermore, he did every class from an Amazon van and no camera on. Truly a remarkable fete by my son. My wife and I are so proud of his commitment to learning while earning. More kids should take note and more parents should encourage working while learning.
Ms. Fonfield’s speech was beautiful and so powerful. Thank you Jerry for sharing.
Also at today’s League of Women Voters Newton Annual meeting, Imani Fonfield received a scholarship (along with a fellow NSHS classmate Melissa Sheng). Both are off to Harvard in the Fall.
Thank you for all of the kind words and recognition towards my daughter, Imani Fonfield!
Imani and I congratulate each and every graduate of Newton’s Class of 2021. What a phenomenal job they all did! Our future looks bright because of the shining light within them all.
– Gladys & Imani Fonfield