By Richard Kaufman
On a comfortable, partly-cloudy evening last week, a sea of red and white filled Cardinal Stadium for Greenwich High School’s 149th commencement ceremony.
As Pomp and Circumstance played in the background, compliments of the Cardinal Band, 607 graduating seniors filed into their seats on the turf, waving to family, friends, faculty and staff.
The ceremony featured brief remarks from Class President, Alissa Landberg; Salutatorian, Michelle Xiong; Valedictorian, Michelle Woo; outgoing Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jill Gildea; and GHS Headmaster, Chris Winters.
GHS School Resource Officer, Carlos Franco, delivered the commencement address and was introduced by Class Vice President, Ben Michals.
Franco has been the SRO at Greenwich High for 11 years, and was selected as the commencement speaker by the students because this year was his last in his role.
“Officer Franco has been a trusted and respected authority figure, who has worked hard to make GHS safer, smarter and stronger, so that students like myself can feel secure each and every day,” Michals said. “His generosity and patience have endeared him to all, and he will be sorely missed in the hallways of GHS.”
Prior to joining GHS, Franco worked as a patrol officer in Greenwich, and was employed by the FDNY and even served in the military. Over the years, Franco has received numerous ribbons of commendation for his work, such as the Officer of the Year Awards, and most recently, the John A. Clarke Award from the GPD.
Franco said he came into the role of SRO with some hesitation 11 years ago, but during his first day on the job, he realized he fit right in.
“I was greeted by a senior who gave me the warmest, and most sincere welcome which made me feel that I belonged,” Franco said. “I knew then, that I’d be working with the biggest commodity in town, and that’s you: the future.”
Franco said that everyone has the ability to leave their mark on the world, and that it all starts with believing in yourself.
“Go out there and conquer yourselves. Once you conquer yourselves, you can achieve anything you set your mind to,” he said. “To conquer yourself, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Learn from your mistakes, and trust me, we all make mistakes.”
Winters presented the Class of 2018 to those in attendance, and mentioned some of their accolades and successes.
The class of 2018 comes from 43 countries, and speaks 23 languages at home. Sixty-four percent of the class participated in athletics over the course of high school, and because of that Winters said, GHS was awarded with the FCIAC Cup as the No. 1 athletic program in Fairfield County.
Greenwich High was also presented with the Vantage Cup for the most successful athletic program in the state of Connecticut.
Ninety-two percent of the graduating class participated in the arts in one form or another. “Your work has impressed and will inspire for years to come,” Winters said.
Of the 607 graduates, 481 students completed internships, 67 completed senior projects and 62 percent of all graduates took and passed at least one Advanced Placement exam. As a result, GHS was ranked in the top two percent of all U.S. high schools, and second in Connecticut amongst comprehensive public schools.
Winters lauded the class’s willingness to participate in community service, and their eagerness to become involved on social and political issues.
“You have the power to shape the type of person you will be. Act wisely, take responsibility for your actions, be ethical, treat others nicely, and always come back and visit,” he said. “We love you, class of 2018.”
For an expanded version and more on the 2018 GHS Commencement Ceremony, be sure to check out this week’s Greenwich Sentinel.
