Valley Stream South grads take lessons with them

The more than 200 students who walked across South High School’s field on June 26 to receive their diplomas were told to remember the lessons they have learned at the school as they move onto the next chapter of their lives.

In his speech, Salutatorian Joshua Rajan told the friends, family and administrators in the audience about his friends who have taught him about persistence. “If there is one thing I’ve learned from these six years, it is to step into the sun, because if you keep pushing, you just might surprise yourself,” he said, adding that if the graduates do fall, they “will get up, get out there and find what [they’re] meant to do.”

Valedictorian Anne Hwang said she had also learned from Interim Principal David Trizano, who greeted every student as they walked into the building every day.

“I hope that you keep a little bit of South in your hearts,” she told her fellow graduates, “and remember that it is often the smallest acts of kindness that can make a big difference.”

“You will never regret being kind and no one forgets a kindness shown to them,” Principal Maureen Henry added. “Each of you has something very special to share with the world.”