For her senior project, class salutatorian Olivia Jacobs created a book called This We Believe, made up of 42 different essays on personal philosophy by fellow classmates, MVRHS staff and the community.
“As humans, we are always changing,” she wrote in the book.
It is a fitting theme for the 154 students in Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School's class of 2016, echoed Mike McCarthy, director of guidance and counseling.
“I think this class is a group of kids who came into the school and had to grow and change in a number of different ways,” he said. “They’ve had a lot of growth as a group and they’ve really come together in the end.”
On Sunday, June 12, the class will come together one last time to celebrate graduation, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs. Friday night at 6:30 p.m. the class also gathers at the Tabernacle for Class Night honors, where students receive scholarships from the community.
Mirroring national trends, the graduating class often felt burdened by anxiety issues, particularly during its freshman year, said class advisor Amy Lilavois. This anxiety stemmed from heightened expectations facing today’s high school students. But instead of crumbling under the pressure and stress, the class of 2016 grew and prospered by turning to each other. Ms. Lilavois’ Peer Outreach Program facilitated this unity.
Each year, the student body nominates members into its Peer Outreach Program. Members of the program look out for their peers, helping them to cope with stress, and referring those who feel truly overwhelmed to counseling services.
“Almost all of the 40 kids from this senior class who are part of the program have done something one way or another to bring a friend, or help a friend, by bringing them down to the guidance office,” said Ms. Lilavois. “A lot of kids who had been struggling helped pass the growth they experienced onto their classmates, whether it be their peers or underclassmen.”
Olivia Jacobs still remembers her struggle with anxiety as a freshman. “I feel like I was a totally different person entering freshman year,” she said.
What a difference four years makes. In addition to publishing her book of essays, graduating second in her class and being a member of the Peer Outreach Program, Olivia served as editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper.
“An extraordinary friend once told me that sometimes things have to get worse before they get better,” Olivia wrote in her book. “Gentle kindness and honest love. To these, I owe my strength.”
Olivia will attend Hamilton College in the fall.
Class valedictorian Jared Livingston exemplified the academic growth and excellence of the class. The first National Merit Scholar in recent MVRHS history, Jared received a four-year, full-ride QuestBridge Scholarship to Caltech. Mr. McCarthy also praised Jared for finding his niche within the music and art departments.
Creative pursuits always play a large part in the high school culture on the Island. Theatre director Brooke Hardman Ditchfield saluted the graduating class as a whole for their work on the play Chicago.
“I don’t want to single out anybody,” she said. “There were too many seniors to mention.”
Seniors Penelope Dutton and Darby Patterson starred in the production, and this spring Darby and fellow senior Miles Thornton wrote and performed their own musical based on the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960s. Miles also worked as the assistant director on Chicago and dedicated himself to the theatre department’s production team from day one.
“I don’t know what we will do without him,” Ms. Hardman Ditchfield said.
Miles will be taking a gap year and working on a documentary film in Croatia, Penelope is heading to Mount Holyoke College and Darby will continue her creative pursuits at the Boston Conservatory to study musical theatre.
“The teachers treated us with so much respect,” Darby said. “They encouraged us to make mistakes along the way because they knew that’s how we’d grow.”
Athletic director Mark McCarthy saw his senior student-athletes transform into leaders across a variety of sports.
“Depth and experience come to mind when describing this class of athletes,” he said. A majority of the boy’s lacrosse, girl’s lacrosse and football rosters consisted of seniors who grew into team roles over a four-year span.
Emily Turney and Belle Dinning stood out in their respective varsity programs. Belle earned 12 varsity letters at the high school, playing on the varsity girl’s lacrosse, ice hockey and field hockey teams in each of her four years. She will attend Assumption College next year on a field hockey scholarship.
Emily was a four-year varsity softball player, and earned a softball scholarship to Adelphi University after receiving Eastern Athletic Conference All-Star honors four years in a row.
“Everyone here pushes each other and we all feel motivated by one another,” Emily said.
Not all members of the class of 2016 plan to attend a four-year university. An average of 12 to 14 per cent of the senior classes moves on to two-year colleges, Mike McCarthy said.
“There are kids going to school for culinary arts and there are kids leaving to go to school for horticulture,” he added. “Some kids are going to school online and others are doing apprenticeships for plumbers and electricians.”
The director of guidance and counseling said he admires the change the students embraced over the past four years. He sees a bright future for each student given their high character, echoing a sentiment many shared in Olivia Jacob’s book.
“You’re going to come into the high school, you’re going to find yourself, you’re going to grow and you’re going to mature,” Mike McCarthy reflected. “It’s an incredibly kind class, both male and female.”
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