Milford High School’s Class of 2025 graduated on Thursday, May 29, sending students off on the next chapter of their lives. The weather held out for the ceremony as friends and family cheered as diplomas were delivered.
“It’s a good night to be a Buccaneer,” Principal Seth Buford said. “Graduation is a time-honored tradition that links us all together. The experiences you have had over the past four years, many of us have had those same experiences. Many of us sat on a field or in a stadium just like this, or even this one, waiting to hear our names, marking a significant moment, a transition, signifying the changes that are about to take place in all of our lives today. I would like you to take a moment to reflect on your past education, the games you played. Many of you have competed at the state and regional level. Many of you are leaving here with certifications in a variety of technical fields. Some of you have earned a number of college credits, giving you a head start on your next adventure.”
Buford stated that he had watched them all grow into the young adults before him, watching passions and dreams forged at Milford.
“As you reflect on these experiences and look towards the future, remember the hard work, the friendships that have been forged and the challenges you have overcome,” Dr. Bridget Chavez, Superintendent, said. “Above all, remember the unending belief in yourself that brought you to this moment, this evening. Your perseverance and your resilience and determination have helped define you as Milford High School graduates. Our world and community is eagerly awaiting the impact you will continue to make, but go forth with courage, determination and steadfast resolve to serve your dreams.”
Class President Ricardo Bruinton Jr. presented the Class of 2025.
“It is my job as your president to remind everyone of the wonderful four years at Milford High School,” Bruinton said. “We built the fastest runners, the best strikers, the strongest wrestlers and the toughest football players in our school system. We have actors and singers whose songs and plays still ring in our heads. We have tradesmen with true skills, we have the brilliant minds of men and women who will be nurses and doctors, who are already working to save the lives of countless people, farmers who will plow the fields, businesspeople who will bring money back into our community.”
Bruinton continued.
“We are truly the greatest class in Milford High School history. I’ve never seen a crowd of more brilliant people,” If it weren’t for you, we would be a class of clones, so my message is to be true to you because it is you that makes us so special. My father dropped out of high school when he was 13. He came from one of the toughest towns in our country. My mom didn’t have the luxury of a stable life and despite all of this, they produced one of the brightest men on this field. I cannot promise they approve of everything I do. I can’t promise I will be home for Christmas or Thanksgiving. What I can promise is my unwavering devotion to our family, to love and protect the legacy you worked to build my whole life.”
Buford announced that after GPAs were calculated, the Class of 2025 had two salutatorians, Jordan Casper and Sigrid Evers.
“I still don’t know how to do taxes or what a 401(k) really is, but I can tell you I can find the area, I can probably figure it out,” Casper said. “School did teach us life skills like functioning on four hours sleep, how to look interested while being completely checked out and how to survive. Seriously though, we managed to learn how to manage our time, how to attribute ourselves, how to think critically and how to keep moving forward. Because, let’s be honest, this taught us life isn’t always fair but hard work pays off and, more than anything, how to keep showing up.”
Casper pointed out that they would not always be ready, and they won’t always have a plan, so there should be no expectations of perfection. Trying to be perfect is exhausting, unrealistic and some of the most interesting moments in life are messy and unplanned.
“Today marks a major change to what we have been used to up until now,” Evers said. “Although it may be scary, change is inevitable. We’ve grown as students. We have calculated rates of change in our math classes. We have identified turning points in English literature. We’ve grown as people. We have navigated ups and downs. We’re no longer those Kindergartners high fiving in the hallways. As we go through this change from high school, we will always carry with us all that we have learned as we look at the future.”
Evers reminded students that some would further their education, some would get new jobs and meet new people while others would move to different states and face new challenges.
“I encourage you to embrace these changes and not shy away from them,” Evers said. “Be confident in yourself and remember how far you’ve come. Stay true to who you are while being open to the idea that who you are may not look exactly the same as it does right now. We must use what we have learned to better the world around us when something isn’t right, when other people need help or when we discover a problem we care about solving, but be the change you want to see.”
“From Kindergarten through eighth grade, we couldn’t wait to be the big kids, we were ready to graduate even though we had years to go,” Megan Johnson, Valedictorian, said. “We started ninth grade with hand sanitizer and masks, not knowing what everyone looked like. Four years later, we are the graduates. The countdown is over. As graduating Buccaneers, we are ready to be the captains of our own ships, preparing to sail off on this journey called life. Although we have different courses, we are guaranteed to face both peaceful and stormy waters, where we encounter icebergs, implosions, strong currents, enemy, pirates or any other obstacle. WE must stay on the passage, regardless of what we face.”
Johnson reminded students that captains needed the right tools to navigate waters.
“We need a map, a pencil, eyes and a compass to find treasure,” Johnson said. “Your map and pencil represent your plan to get to your goals. You need the map before you begin the journey to show the way to those goals and inspirations. Writing goals in pencil makes them flexible, changed to meet the path ahead. I would like to urge everyone to gather their supplies and get ready to leave the docks. Do not be defeated if you embark on your journey and things do not go as planned because you can always go back and adjust. Remember to be grateful in any situation and circumstance as that will take you far. On that note, 2025 Buccaneers, let’s set sail!”
Milford School District Teacher of the Year Catherine Barczewski shared her own pearls of wisdom with the graduates.
Over the past 19 years, I have experienced a variety of professional development training and some truly resonated with me,” Barczewski said. “One was based on a book “Teach Like a Pirate” by Dave Burgess. Like the title suggests, the author encourages educators to teach like a pirate, not in the sense of plundering ships but to teach with the spirit of a pirate. However, this advice should not be limited to just teachers. It’s applicable to everyone. We should all live like a pirate. We should be adventurous and daring. We should be independent but able to collaborate with diverse crews. We should venture into uncharted territories with no guarantee of success.”
Barczewski advised graduates to find their purpose, identify what gives them passion.
“Once you do that, it’s easier to be daring and adventurous. Don’t worry if you haven’t figured your passion out yet, passions shift and change. There is a saying, if you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. We all are that mosquito. Everything we do makes a difference. So, when the conditions are not ideal or the logistics are complicated, try and find your passion in the situation so you can let your inner Buccaneer shine.”
After the speakers finished, graduates were presented with their diplomas.
