NDHS Eagles fly the nest

HURLOCK — Although the rain prevented 149 North Dorchester High School graduates from ending their graduation ceremony at the flagpole outside the school to throw their caps into the air — an NDHS tradition — it didn’t stop those caps from flying through the sky of the school’s auditorium on May 29.

Before those caps reached the heights of the building, and before the students wearing them walked across the auditorium stage to receive their diplomas from Dorchester County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Jymil Thompson and Board of Education President Mike Diaz, NDHS Salutatorian and Class President Ta’Tyana Maradiaga spoke about all of the “lasts” her class experienced this school year.

“Our last spirit week, pep rally, prom, homecoming, field trip, and the saddest portion of all, our most memorable morning announcements, Eagle Nation,” she said. “While speaking of this brings an overwhelming sense of sadness, I also feel pride and hope.”

Maradiaga, who plans to attend the University of Maryland, College Park, said she is proud of the mark the class of 2024 has made on the school.

“I hope that no matter what route each person decides to take on, they will do it with confidence and determination,” she said.

Valedictorian and Class Vice President Fatima Kaleem spoke about the past and the future, reflecting on her own past and looking toward her future.

“As I stand here today, I am filled with gratitude,” she said. “Each memory, whether laced with pain or joy, has shaped the person I am today.”

Kaleem, who plans to attend New York University, asked her classmates to look back on their own journeys “with a sense of pride and recognition.”

“Say thank you to your past self for enduring the triumphs, for learning and growing,” she said. “And embrace your future with a heart free of regrets.”

During Principal David Stofa’s remarks, he reminded the class to keep the values instilled in them at NDHS as they pursue their dreams.

“Embrace diversity, practice empathy and never forget the power of kindness,” he said.

NDHS teacher Phil Albert instructed the graduating class to follow their hearts. He asked that as they follow their hearts, they remember to serve from their hearts too.

“I know personally that the people of North Dorchester love and care about others,” he said. “Fourteen years ago, my son went to the hospital in Baltimore for a bone marrow transplant. And my wife and I did not know whether or not he would survive. Spoiler alert: he did.”

Albert said the NDHS staff and students carried him through this time.

“For that service (from the heart) is what makes people and organizations and nations great,” he said.