Reading sends off the Class of 2026 with pride and reflection
Graduates crossed the stage at Hawkes Fieldhouse on May 29, closing out more than a decade of school with music, laughter, and a few well-earned tears.
(4-minute read)
Diplomas await the Class of 2026 on stage at Hawkes Fieldhouse, beside the podium where spekers would address graduates and their families. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Friends, families, and community members packed the Hawkes Fieldhouse on the evening of May 29, as Reading Memorial High School held its Class of 2026 Graduation Ceremony. With more than 270 graduates preparing to head off to higher education, employment, and military service, the atmosphere was one of celebration, gratitude, and quiet pride.
The RMHS Band led the processional as graduates filed in, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Student Council President Jessica Wong, and the National Anthem, performed by the RMHS Choir.
Class President: “We achieved it together”
Class President Jason Walsh opened the student addresses by reflecting on thirteen years of shared experience: the competitions, the friendships, the leadership, and the losses that shaped the class. He highlighted the drama program’s appearance at state finals for the first time in twenty years, as well as both the girls’ and boys’ hockey teams’ divisional championships, among the class’s many accomplishments.
“Succeeding together is that much better, and failure hurts a little less.”
Walsh reserved his highest praise for the drama competition, describing the shared pride of winning together on an original play as the moment he was most proud of. He closed by thanking the administrative team and class advisors for their dedication to the class throughout the years.
Valedictorian address: seeing what can be
Salutatorian Indigo Boyko was unable to attend due to illness and could not deliver their address. Valedictorian Amelia Borawski took the stage to give her speech, drawing on her four years of writing profiles of her classmates to frame it in terms of storytelling, creativity, and possibility.
“Life is better when you engage with it - be creative. Not seeing what’s just in front of you, but what can be.”
Borawski cited author John Green’s concept of the infinite numbers between zero and one: a reminder that engagement with literature, data, and the world around us opens up possibilities that a surface-level view cannot. She challenged her classmates to innovate not by seeing what is directly in front of them, but by imagining what could be.
The RMHS Choirs, under the direction of Andy Mullin, performed “Let the River Run” to close the student portion of the programs.
Principal Callanan: roots and wings
The Class of 2026 listens from their seats as remarks are delivered by Principal Jessica Callanan from the stage, their decorated caps visible throughout the foor. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Principal Jessica Callanan opened her address by thanking the parents in the room, describing their role as laying the roots that allow their children to now spread their wings. She invited graduates to pause and acknowledge their families before reflecting on the remarkable sweep of history this class has lived through: from the 2008 election to the Boston Marathon bombing, the pandemic, and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence during their high school years.
Callanan was direct on the subject of AI, telling graduates that while the technology will be a constant presence in their futures, imagination remains distinctly human. “AI is not imagination,” she said. “It is the regurgitation of information.” She challenged the class to lead with creativity wherever their paths take them, and said that looking out at the Class of 2026, she has no worries about their ability to do so.
Supt. Milaschewski: resilience, small moments, and pride
“We need the energy and brilliance of this class. It is not a matter of if - but when.”
Superintendent Dr. Thomas Milaschewski celebrated the class’s collective achievements: 22 students earning biliteracy seals, 97 National Honor Society members, drama festival success, a winter guard championship, and leadership across more than 70 clubs and activities. He told the graduates that the staff had shared three consistent reflections when asked about the Class of 2026: resilience, the small moments that went unnoticed, and great pride in the journey.
He singled out student Luis Alberto Campos, who came from Peru seeking an education, as an example of the visible and invisible obstacles many in the class had to overcome to reach graduation night. And he reminded the graduates that their path was shaped not just by their own efforts, but by the families who love them and the staff who advocated for them from pre-K onward.
Conferring of diplomas
The RMHS Choirs assembles on risers behind the seated graduates, preparing to perform during the ceremony. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
School Committee members Tom Wise and Lara Durgavich joined Assistant Principal Jessica Theriault and Principal Callanan, a veteran herself, who paused to recognize the graduates enlisting in military service, thanking them for their selflessness and wishing them safety.
Names were read by Class Presidents Jason Walsh, Student Council President Jessica Wong, Valedictorian Amelia Borawski, and fellow members of the Class of 2026. As graduate after graduate crossed the stage, many paused to embrace Principal Callanan and Assistant Principal Theriault. Tassels were moved from right to left, and the RMHS Band played the class out.
The ceremony was marshaled by Connor Jack ‘24 and Sebastian Orsini ‘27. Class advisors Meghan Manos and Kara Santa Maria were recognized for their dedication to the class throughout their time at RMHS.
A community effort
A ceremony like this does not happen without the work of countless people behind the scenes. To the teacher and staff who guided these graduates from their earliest days in Reading’s schools through to this milestone: thank you. Your patience, encouragement, and dedication shaped these young people in ways that will last a lifetime.
A group of graduates all smiles and posing outside RMHS following the ceremony. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
To the administrative team and facilities staff who planned, coordinated, and prepared Hawkes Fieldhouse for the evening: the night ran beautifully because of your effort and care. It is the kind of work that often goes unnoticed, and it deserves recognition.
And to the parents, grandparents, siblings, and loved ones who filled the stands at the ceremony: you were there long before the processional. You were there in the early mornings, the hard days, the late-night study sessions, and everything in between. The Class of 2026 walked across that stage because you walked alongside them every step of the way. Congratulations to you, too.
