Watchung Hills Bids Farewell to 'Lucky 13'

Pardon me if I take a liberty here—journalists are supposed to be objective, but I feel a bit connected to Watchung Hills Regional's Class of 2013. We launched Warren Patch in January 2011, just as this class was starting to make its mark on the school.

It was just a few months later I met the Warriors baseball and softball teams, including a group of underclass students that were impressive in both their athletic skills and in their character. I knew there was something special about them—and I think I was right.

In her address to the students, Superintendent Frances Stromsland called the class "Lucky 13," noting that while their senior year started out rough, they were nonetheless blessed with a beautiful evening for graduation.

But it wasn't luck that got salutatorian Jessica Xu to the U.S. Chemistry Olympiad as a junior (and again this year), or gave Abby Cline the MVP trophy after the Somerset County softball championship as a junior.

It was their hard work, as well as the hard work of others that stood out even as juniors—Anthony Prus and Charlie Perusso on the football team, or Tommy Giaimo and Frank Urso on the baseball field (and football!), and so many others.

Abby's teammates Tara DiDonato, Stephanie Huff, Dana Mertz, and Brionna Paltan—who all came back and made this season so spectacular.  

I was inspired by every one of their battles on the field, rejoycing when they won and sharing in the pain when they didn't. 

I first met Linda Sun when she served as the student liason to the school board as a junior and was impressed by her poise at the meetings. I watched Michael Griffin lead the Marching Band onto the field at halftimes, and enjoyed Ben Bouffard's short play performed in the 2012 Arts Festival.

And shortly after we launched Warren Patch, a young man with a passion for cooking joined us, writing posts about his experiences in the kitchen at Uproot—and on Friday, Teddy DeVico picked up his diploma and prepared to move on.

And all of these accomplishments were before they became seniors and really took over.

These are just a few of the wonderful students I met and I mention these students because they seem to typify the Class of 2013—while I can't claim to have met a large percent of the 500-plus members of the class, I can say I've seldom seen a more impressive, polite, intelligent and successful group of students. I'm sure many teachers at the school agree—certainly those whose own children were among the graduates.

In her address, Class President Jessica Hoffman noted her classmates couldn't have know how much the world they knew as kindergartners "graduating" 12 years ago would change—from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to the Red Sox winning "not one but two World Series," to the fact "we spend more time typing than talking on our phones."

"I really have loved getting to know each and every personality that comprises this class," she said.

I'm sure she did—I wish I could have, too.