By Elle Wood

MILFORD — The 318 graduates of Milford High School’s Class of 2024 took to the field of Bernard E. Briggs Stadium on Thursday to complete their journeys.

They were joined in the celebration by school faculty, board of education members, elected officials and their families and friends.

Principal Seth Buford and district superintendent Dr. Bridget Amory welcomed the attendees and spoke about their pride for the departing seniors.

Each of the student speakers, including class president Lila Schmidt, addressed the common theme of making memories and how individuals can bestow big impacts in a short time.

“None of us are going to remember the cords we are wearing around our neck today or who passed us in grade ranking,” Lila said. “But what we are going to remember are the times we came together and how we made each other feel, who smiled at us in the hallways or made our bad days worse, who’s honest and acted with integrity or whose choice it was to act rude for no reason.”

Salutatorian Jorja Willey spoke about making the most of every moment instead of waiting for them to pass by.

“We spend our whole lives waiting for something bigger, something better to happen, something that will supposedly put a pause on our current situation and make everything better,” she stated. “But why do we wait around all our lives for something monumental to happen?”

Valedictorian Carley Mackert addressed one of the biggest obstacles her class faced: the pandemic.

“What we thought would be two weeks turned into missing our eighth grade graduation, our first day of high school and our very first homecoming,” Carley said. “But this obstacle did not stop us. It only made us stronger.”

Following the awarding of diplomas, the district’s Teacher of the Year Andrea McPike addressed the Class of 2024.

“One last thing to remember: Life is like a Snapchat streak,” she said. “Keep it going, cherish the moments and don’t let it disappear.”