WARWICK, NY – Saturday, June 27, 2026 – Under cloudy skies and a cool morning breeze, Warwick Valley High School celebrated the graduation of 346 seniors during the Class of 2026 Commencement Ceremony held Saturday morning, June 27.
Graduates processed from the high school to C. Ashley Morgan Field where families, friends, faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the milestone before reflecting on the memories, lessons and possibilities that defined the morning’s commencement addresses.
Principal Dr. Georgianna Diopoulos welcomed guests, led the Pledge of Allegiance and introduced the Meistersingers’ performance of The Star-Spangled Banner before addressing the graduates.
Dr. Diopoulos opened her commencement address with a lesson she recently received from Warwick Valley alumnus Greg Large, a member of the district’s legendary 1984 football team.
His advice was simple, she said: don’t focus on being the best. Focus on doing your best.
“We live in a world that often encourages us to compare,” Dr. Diopoulos said, pointing to grades, careers, social media and countless other measures of success. But, she reminded graduates, comparison has a way of stealing joy and overshadowing personal growth.
“Your goal does not have to be better than anyone else’s,” she said. “Your goal should be to become the best version of yourself.”
Rather than measuring success by rankings or recognition, Dr. Diopoulos encouraged graduates to measure it by their effort, integrity and resilience, especially when life doesn’t go according to plan.
“There will be times when you work incredibly hard and still don’t come in first,” she said. “I hope you don’t measure your worth by the result alone.”
She closed by encouraging the Class of 2026 to keep learning, growing and showing up each day, reminding them that success is built one honest effort at a time.
“Spend your life trying to do your best, to be your best, and to bring out the best in others,” Diopoulos said.
Next, Dr. Diopoulos introduced Class of 2026 Salutatorian Nathan Link, who used his address to make the case for trying new things, drawing on his own pivot from a predictable routine to a senior year filled with firsts.
For three years, Nathan’s high school life ran like clockwork: classes, track practice, homework, repeat. By the end of his junior year, he realized something was missing, bringing him back to a conversation before freshman year when a relative told him those would be “the best years” of his life.
“I thought they were, maybe, alright,” he said. “But I don’t know about ‘the best.'”
Rather than waiting until college to start over, Nathan decided there was no reason to wait. After years of running track, he joined the varsity football team on a whim.
“But to both my parents’ and my surprise, I ended up as the team’s starting nose tackle,” he said.
The football field became just the beginning. Nathan later made his theater debut as the lead in the school’s production of Les Misérables and even stepped away from track to earn a spot on the school’s competitive golf team.
But the heart of Nathan’s message wasn’t about the accomplishments themselves. It was about having the courage to take the first step.
“I wanted to show all of you the importance of something,” he said. “That something is trying new things.”
Looking back, Nathan said those experiences became some of the most rewarding of his high school years, and his only regret was waiting until his senior year to take those chances.
“This past year was by far the best of my life,” he said. “And I can only imagine how much fun I would’ve had during the rest of high school if I started doing these things earlier.”
He closed by encouraging graduates and guests alike not to wait for the “right time” to try something new.
“Take a risk,” he said. “It might just end up changing your life.”
Board of Education President Keith Parsons addressed the students next. He shared a story from his own life, recalling how he grew up in a small town much like Warwick and couldn’t wait to leave.
As a young adult, he chased new experiences, built a career and explored the world, believing success meant putting as much distance as possible between himself and his hometown. But over time, his perspective changed.
“Success isn’t measured by how far you go,” he said, “but by the life you build and the people you share it with.”
Eventually, Mr. Parsons found himself raising a family in a community much like the one where he grew up, realizing that ambition and a sense of home are not mutually exclusive.
He encouraged graduates to pursue their own paths with curiosity, kindness and integrity, reminding them that success is defined not only by achievements, but by character and the lives they impact.
“Remember that success is not measured only by what you achieve,” he said, “but by the character you build and the lives you touch along the way.”
He closed with a reminder that no matter where life takes them, Warwick will always be a part of who they are.
“You will always have a place,” Mr. Parsons said. “No matter how far you travel, no matter how high you climb, and no matter how long you’re gone, this community and this school will always be a part of you.”
James “Jamie” Curtis, the Class of 2026 valedictorian, was next to address his peers, using rhinoceroses to share an important lesson about the power of curiosity and caring for something beyond yourself.
While rhinos are often thought of as a single species, Jamie explained they are actually divided into five, with some populations thriving while others have dwindled to the brink of extinction. The difference, he said, comes down to whether people choose to learn about an issue and care enough to act.
“What I thought was particularly notable about the rhinoceros isn’t their rarity, or anything about the rhino as an animal, but what they represent,” he said.
Drawing a parallel to the graduates before him, Jamie noted that, like the different species of rhinos, each member of the Class of 2026 would leave Warwick Valley High School to follow a different path. No matter where those paths lead, he encouraged graduates to remain curious, continue learning and pay attention to the world around them.
“Like the species of rhino, there are different types of people, with different paths,” he said. “But what is important is that people continue to learn and pay attention to the world around them.”
Abigail Yurchuk, elected as this year’s senior speaker, closed the student addresses with a simple question: What does it really mean to be “cool?”
Looking back on her freshman year, Abigail said she once believed being cool meant appearing effortless, detached or indifferent. But watching the Class of 2026 over the past four years completely changed her perspective.
She pointed to classmates who earned gold medals at the SkillsUSA State Championships, championship-winning athletic teams, the choir’s performance at Walt Disney World and the determination shown by students who continued showing up every day, even when it wasn’t easy.
“So, to me, being cool isn’t a specific action; it’s the choice to act,” she said. “It’s the choice to be authentic. It’s the choice to chase your passions.”
As graduates prepared for their next chapter, Abigail encouraged her classmates to embrace new opportunities, reminding them that meaningful connections and personal growth come from caring, trying and having the courage to be themselves.
She closed by reflecting on the memories the class had built together, from school trips to prom, and the friendships that shaped their high school experience.
“You are all, undoubtedly, the coolest people I know,” Abigail said.
As a light rain began to fall over the ceremony, Superintendent Dr. David Leach looked down at what he joked was originally a “two-and-a-half-page, single-spaced, 12-point font” speech and decided to keep his remarks brief.
Instead, he reflected on the unique connection he shares with the Class of 2026. Having joined the district 13 years ago, Dr. Leach noted that many of the graduates began kindergarten the same year he became superintendent, making the class especially meaningful to him.
“I’ve enjoyed so much watching you grow up, what you’ve accomplished in the classrooms and out,” he said.
He closed by congratulating the graduates and their families, telling the Class of 2026 he was deeply proud to serve as their superintendent.
“I’m so deeply proud to be your superintendent, to be here today, to experience that with you,” he said. “God bless you and your families.”
Finally, it was time for the students to receive their diplomas. Each graduate had the option to select a faculty member to present it to them, while WVHS guidance counselors Mary Fox, Julie Sekelsky and Ray Mark presented the Class of 2026. This was followed by the official acceptance of the graduates by Dr. Leach.
Thank you to the high school band, under the direction of Megan Shafer, and the Meistersingers, under the direction of Noreen Hanson, for their musical contributions to today’s ceremony.
