Westfield High School Class of 2023
Westfield Public Schools
Four hundred and seventy Westfield High School 12th graders graduated on June 21, as family and friends cheered loudly from the stands at Gary Kehler Stadium.
WHS principal Mary Asfendis congratulated the Class of 2023 and thanked their teachers and parents for encouraging and supporting the students during their educational journey. She noted the many student achievements and accomplishments and praised the Class of 2023 for meeting every challenge “with grace and positivity.”
“May you look forward to each new experience and opportunity with the same strength and fortitude,” Asfendis told the seniors. “You have a fresh start on the path of your choosing, whether that be college, a trade, the military, or a gap year.”
Keynote speaker Maureen Mazzarese stressed the importance of “looking inside to learn what you stand for or against, who you will stand up for and who you will stand up to.”
“If you know who you are, what you want to be will follow. You will be motivated from within,” said Mazzarese, the former K-12 Director of Counseling who retired in August 2022 following 34 years with the Westfield Public School District. “You will handle frustration. You will accept some failure. You will get help when you need it and, if Plan A doesn’t work out, you’ll be open and able to find plan B.”
Mazzarese wished the graduates well as their new journey begins.
“I don’t promise you an easy journey but I promise it will be worth it. If your journey is an easy one, be grateful. If your journey is hard, don’t travel alone. Find help. It’s out there and have faith,” she told the students. “I hope, along the way, you will experience great joy and only sweet sorrow that comes because you cared. I hope that you have great success and appreciate the gift of failure as a reason to try again. I hope that you travel with good companions and helpers when you need them. I hope that, as you travel, you feel loved and always know you matter. And I hope that you take the time to play and have fun.”
The Class of 2023 and their guests were welcomed to the commencement ceremony by senior class president Sean Henderson and student government president Patrick Lanza. Members of the WHS Band and Orchestra performed during the processional and recessional, conducted by band directors Trevor Sindorf and Christopher Vitale and orchestra director Craig Stanton. Choral director John Brzozowski led graduating members of the WHS Choir in a presentation of “I Lived.”
“It was a great day for the Class of 2023,” says Superintendent Dr. Raymond González. “There were so many family members, friends, current and former teachers, administrators, Board of Education members, and others on hand to wish the graduates well as they begin the next step in their life’s journey.”
Photos by Westfield Public Schools
