Graduation Day an Unforgettable Milestone

Picture-perfect weather greeted the 274 graduates of Fairfield Warde High School this past Tuesday evening, June 17, during commencement exercises in the school courtyard. Yes, it's the same courtyard where our graduation from the same school took place some 32 years ago.

Graduation was arguably the most memorable event of our high school years. If my memory serves me correctly, we enjoyed sunny skies and mild temperatures on June 24, 1976, our last day at Andrew Warde High School. The adjacent insert is from graduation day in 1976.

What do you most remember about graduation day? The Bicentennial celebration stands out as the highlight of 1976 for this typist.

According to the 1976 Flame yearbook, "The Bicentennial has special significance for the 20th graduating class of Andrew Warde. Both the United States and the graduates of Warde have reached a certain point in their lives, perhaps even a certain goal.

"Yet, with the relief of a past well accomplished comes the apprehension of future possibilities. Graduates have the choice of college or work, or neither; what is common to all is that they are responsible for decisions they will have to live with. Like the United States, students should take a moment to pat themselves on the back and then continue forward."

The year 1976 brought unparalleled activity and excitement to Andrew Warde, Fairfield, and the United States as a whole. America's Bicentennial (like our high school graduation) was a one-time affair.

Andrew Warde also incorporated several special programs into the countless list of school activities in order to recognize the Bicentennial. A number of essay contests were sponsored, a Bicentennial committee, meeting each activity period, was formed, and the theme of the 1976 Flame was directed toward the Bicentennial.

Now, fast-forward 32 years later. Surrounded by his fellow students, family, friends and school faculty this past Tuesday, Fairfield Warde High School's Class of 2008 graduating senior Matthew Wittman, the class speaker, took time during his address to remind his peers that "all good things must come to an end." The following photos are from last Tuesday's commencement.

Although the incoming Tufts University freshman's words did not fall on deaf ears, they also did not prevent members of the graduating class from celebrating their final moments as high school seniors. Inflatable animals were tossed in the air, and bubbles could be seen floating from the sea of dark-robed students at various times during the graduation festivities.

Adding to the laid-back, festive atmosphere of the graduation, salutatorian Tommy Tea urged his classmates to "live, breathe, and seize every waking moment and remember to never, ever, be a tool."

Share your memories of graduation from Andrew Warde High School by clicking the "comments" link below.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".