'Your community has your back': Dartmouth High School seniors graduate
The soon-to-be graduated seniors march across the field on Sunday, May 31. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Students throw their caps in the air after turning their tassels.
Students line up to receive their diplomas.
Commencement speaker Rick White shares 10 points of advice with the seniors.
Many seniors decorated their caps for graduation.
School Committee Chair Mary Beckwith handed out the diplomas.
One student decorated her cap with photos.
Seniors turn their tassels from right to left.
Friends and family record the seniors walking across the field.
Class President Andrew Moniz gives his commencement speech.
Lily Duval walks across the field with classmates.
Friends and family celebrate the class of 2026.
Students clap for class president Andrew Moniz.
Cheering family and friends.
Seniors walk to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance."
Valedictorian Brian Wei is the first to receive a diploma.
Valedictorian Brian Wei talks about the classmates he met at Dartmouth High School.
Class Vice President Cecelia Trahan introduces Rick White as the commencement speaker.
Principal Ryan Shea tells the seniors that the Dartmouth community has their backs.
Receiving her diploma from School Committee Chair Mary Beckwith.
A sea of green, and some decorated caps too.
The soon-to-be graduated seniors march across the field on Sunday, May 31. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Students throw their caps in the air after turning their tassels.
Students line up to receive their diplomas.
Commencement speaker Rick White shares 10 points of advice with the seniors.
Many seniors decorated their caps for graduation.
School Committee Chair Mary Beckwith handed out the diplomas.
One student decorated her cap with photos.
Seniors turn their tassels from right to left.
Friends and family record the seniors walking across the field.
Class President Andrew Moniz gives his commencement speech.
Lily Duval walks across the field with classmates.
Friends and family celebrate the class of 2026.
Students clap for class president Andrew Moniz.
Cheering family and friends.
Seniors walk to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance."
Valedictorian Brian Wei is the first to receive a diploma.
Valedictorian Brian Wei talks about the classmates he met at Dartmouth High School.
Class Vice President Cecelia Trahan introduces Rick White as the commencement speaker.
Principal Ryan Shea tells the seniors that the Dartmouth community has their backs.
Receiving her diploma from School Committee Chair Mary Beckwith.
A sea of green, and some decorated caps too.
Friends and family packed the Memorial Stadium stands, some holding signs of a Dartmouth High School senior’s face and others waving at or recording videos of the 230 seniors marching to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance.
After 13 years of early mornings, sports practices, homework assignments and school spirit, the class of 2026 gathered on Sunday, May 31 to cap off the years of hardwork.
“Everyone here is invested in your journey,” Dartmouth High School Principal Ryan Shea told the graduating seniors.
He noted, “How beautiful it is that our biggest event every year we host is not a sporting event or concert, it’s a graduation, and behind every diploma there is a team.”
During the commencement ceremony, Shea emphasized that the Dartmouth community has always had the students’ backs and that it will continue to, even as they go off to college, enter the workforce or move out of Dartmouth.
“Your high school journey has been a shared rehearsal and harmony sustained by a community that supports you and carries you through every challenge,” he said.
He added, “You have the skills, you have the character, you always have this community standing right behind you.”
Class President Andrew Moniz focused his speech on the journey his classmates are embarking on, highlighting the process over the destination.
“If we dedicate ourselves to the process and put our energy behind what we are passionate about, over time the path that is best for you will reveal itself,” he said.
Drawing on his high school experience, Moniz said that the “destination you arrive at may not look anything like the one that you thought you would arrive at, but nevertheless, it will be the one that was right for you.”
He added, “If you take away just one thing from today, remember to enjoy the process and celebrate the milestones.”
Following in the footsteps of his older brother, Valedictorian Brian Wei first addressed the friends and families in attendance Sunday.
“While our diplomas may have our names on it, this achievement belongs to all of you as well,” he said.
Wei focused his speech on getting to know his classmates and the role they all played in his high school experience, noting that “this world was never meant to be experienced alone.”
“You were never just a project to figure out; you were an ivy, quietly growing on me until I couldn’t imagine these walls without you,” he told his classmates.
He added, “You have all inspired me to become a better peer, a better person and a better friend. You are the reason I believe what I said today.”
This year’s keynote speaker was Rick White, who has taught at the high school for over 30 years and has been a coach for 38 years.
“You’re not always going to win, but you have to put in the work to give yourself a chance, and I pray that your life is filled with more wins than losses,” White said. “You can learn from the losses — they’re only going to make you stronger.”
White shared with the seniors some messages, which he called a “list of 10 coaching points for your game of life.”
These messages included finding a mentor, looking for similarities you have with people rather than differences, adding value to whatever room you’re in, and being a good friend and family member.
“Age 18 to 25 is tough in today’s world, but I know these young adults sitting in front of us today are going to crush it,” White said.
Shea had one last request for the seniors: “Always know who has your back. Make sure you have someone else's, and know we have yours.”
