As students, staff and family members filled the seats at Hill Auditorium, the space came alive with the sounds of excited chatter, rustling gowns and the tune of Pomp and Circumstance performed live by the CHS Jazz Band. Saxophones, drums and keyboard carried the familiar melody as seniors rhythmically marched down the aisle to file into their seats for the last time as high school students.
Community’s Dean Marci Tuzinsky and AAPS superintendent Jazz Parks each took a moment at the microphone to commemorate the class of 2026, and from there the ceremony was officially underway.
Beginning with the Johnson forum, groups of seniors and their forum leaders took the stage to receive their diplomas. By way of CHS tradition each senior was allotted 30 seconds in the spotlight to share their parting message. The speeches ranged from giving thanks to families and friends, shoutouts to beloved teachers and reading of original poems.
Tia Cocciolone, a member of the Yager forum, was among those who left their mark.
“My high school experience was extremely terrifying, and I’m confident that the rest of my life will be too, but that has never been able to stop me because I’ve grown far too fond of the stars to be scared of the night sky,” Cocciolone said.
Speeches briefly paused as the award-winning CHS Jazz combo “O-negative” took the stage to perform a selection of original music, as a short intermission between sections of the ceremony. As the next waves of forums organized themselves backstage.
Following the second round of forum speeches, Dean Marci Tuzinsky, joined by her colleague Assistant Dean Rebecca Westrate, took the stage to present senior awards. Five awards were presented in total, each one handed to a student who left a genuine mark on CHS. Among these honors were The Judith DeWoskin Writing Award, recognizing excellence in writing and journalistic reporting and The Bruce Barton memorial scholarship given to a student who made meaningful contributions to the community.
After the awards, Seniors and staff continued to grace the stage, each leaving the audience with a small piece of wisdom they had chosen to share. After the seniors had left their short yet expressive marks, the stage cleared to make way for a student-led poetry reading.
Kaylee Gadepalli stepped onto the stage, adorned in her cap and gown, just minutes after receiving her diploma and spoke two poems out to the audience. The first poem shared was one Gadepalli had selected, written by Mary Oliver verbally sharing a message adorned with hope and gratitude.
Her second reading featured her original work titled “The Deep Unknown” and took the audience through lines of ocean-themed metaphors. Gadepalli reflected on her high school years and looked towards the moments lying ahead through words spoken into a microphone.
Gadepalli, an involved member of the CHS poetry club, was asked to read in front of her class less than a month prior to the event, and took the offer with no hesitation.
“I didn’t know that people knew that I’m part of the poetry club, and that I got second place in the fall poetry slam,” Gadepalli said. “So I was very pleasantly surprised and honored, and I knew I had to accept.”
Gadapalli’s moments behind the podium came to a close and the last groups of forums made their moments on stage count. As a bittersweet way to close the ceremony, Dean Marci Tuzinsky took the stage for a final time, as the entire class of 2026 had officially graduated high school.
As Tuzinsky uttered her final remarks and thanks to students and staff of Community High School, caps were thrown high into the air and seniors walked down the aisles the same way they entered: accompanied by CHS Jazz’s rendition of “Pomp and Circumstance.”
