Beneath a white tent draped with colorful fabrics, cheers and applause erupted from the crowd gathered outside of the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School (MVPCS) as graduates Morgan Caruso and Quinn Floyd proceeded to the stage in bare feet, with ABBA’s “Slipping Through My Fingers” announcing their entrance.
Donning white, flowy dresses and flower crowns, Caruso and Floyd made up the entirety of this year’s graduating class, a fact that speakers did not ignore at the charter school’s graduation ceremony on Saturday.
Addressing the graduates, MVPCS Director Peter Steedman acknowledged the unique nature of their friendship, which began in kindergarten.
“It is important for you two to understand how extraordinary it is to have a friend like you have in each other, that the friendship that you have with one another is highly unusual and something that should be celebrated,” Steedman said. “Not many people here can say that they went to the same school with the same person in the same building from kindergarten to grade 12.”
Both students were also able to address their family and friends that gathered for the ceremony.
Caruso, who will be studying film at the University of Rhode Island in the fall, expressed her gratitude towards MVPCS and Floyd.
“Graduation is supposed to be a finish line, but today, it doesn’t feel like an end to me. It feels like a beginning I wouldn’t have reached without the school, these people, and all the moments who shaped who I am,” Caruso said. “I wouldn’t be here without my fellow graduate, Quinn, who has shared this ride with me. We may not have the biggest class, but we have each other, and that’s something I will always be grateful for.”
Floyd, who will attend the Maine College of Art and Design to study sculpture and photography, reflected on their time at MVPCS.
“Being at the school has shaped me as a person and given me lifelong friends who I will always be grateful for. This school is and will forever be special to me and I’ll never forget my 13 years here,” Floyd said. “If you had asked me if I was excited to graduate school in freshman year, I would have said, ‘yes, I can’t wait to get off this island,’ but now I wish high school didn’t go by as fast.”
Along with receiving their diplomas, Caruso and Floyd were awarded scholarships from various organizations from the Island and Cape Cod. They also received gifts from MVPCS students and staff, including goodie baskets hidden inside of the school’s shed as the end of a student-designed scavenger hunt.
Side by side and diplomas in hand, Caruso and Floyd skipped and jumped out of the tent as Nelly Furtado’s “I’m Like a Bird” played in the background.
