DWSA's Class of 2025 awarded with diplomas at graduation

Forty-six graduating seniors at the Denzel Washington School of the Arts were cheered and congratulated by their families, friends and educators on Tuesday during a commencement ceremony where they heard speeches that evoked nostalgia and friendly advice for the future.

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The commencement ceremony, which was moved to Mount Vernon High School due to the stifling heat, kicked off with the reading of the Pledge of Allegiance by student Leylani De Los Santos, followed by the DWSA Chorale’s rousing renditions of the Star-Spangled Banner and Lift Every Voice and Sing.

Principal Andrea Thomas looked out at the graduates and the colorful mortarboards atop their heads to tell them to “celebrate not just a milestone, but a masterpiece – a journey that began in the sixth grade and has unfolded year by year, moment by moment, on the stage of your lives."

Ms. Thomas said the graduates “made the Denzel Washington School of the Arts not just a place of learning—but a place of transformation,” adding that she was “reminded of the words of our school’s namesake, Denzel Washington, who said: ‘Don’t just aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference.’”

The principal urged the students to use their multitude of talents to “uplift others. Let your voice speak for the voiceless. Let your vision create space for hope, healing and justice.”

Keynote speaker New York Sen. Jamaal Bailey opened his remarks by joking that “a $1 million arm and a 10-cent brain won’t get you to the pros. It’s more than just talent, it’s talent plus hard work plus preparation.”

Sen. Bailey also stressed the importance of civic participation and to take chances – to be willing to go “off-script” while sticking to your “internal script” in life and to “sing in your own key,” a reference to the school’s artistic mission.

He then described a chance encounter that changed the trajectory of his life while he was a student at SUNY-Albany and held a door open for a woman who was carrying several boxes. At one point later, he had trouble registering for an important class but came across the same woman, who happened to be the chair of the Communications Department.

She helped him register for the class, which allowed him to become an honor roll student and forge a path in politics.

“If I didn’t hold the door open for somebody in Albany in December 2001, I would not be here before you today,” he said. “When you hold doors open for people, they will hold them open for you.”

In her speech, Acting Superintendent Dr. K. Veronica Smith thanked the teachers, administrators, counselors and other staff who played a vital role in the students’ success, then addressed the graduates as they “stand on the edge of this new beginning.”

“May your heart be filled with deep gratitude – for the journey, the growth, and simply for the gift of being alive today. Look how far you’ve come – not just in lessons and grades, but in strength, in spirit, and in faith,” Dr. Smith said.. 

The loudest applause of the day erupted when she announced Kortni Powell-Richards as the Most Improved Student. After he accepted his award, she said: “I want to see what you do in the next 10 years. Look me up!”

Dr. Smith concluded by sharing an excerpt from a poem by Lisa S. Satcher about “the sweat, the tears, the sleepless nights” that helped mold the students into who they are.

Board of Education Trustee Lynne Middleton was on hand to offer words of praise for reaching the milestone.

“It’s a culmination of perseverance and it’s a culmination of growth,” she said. “I want to say to the graduates this afternoon that as you stand on the brink of a new chapter, remember that education is not just about grades that you achieve or the tests that you pass.

“It’s about the friendships that you formed, the challenges that you overcame and the experiences that shaped you into who you are today,” she said, urging the graduates to “pursue your passions and challenge the status quo.”

Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard told the students that she was proud of them.

“We’re excited about the leaders that you are, the scholars you are,” she said. “You are striving every day for excellence. You’re going to college, you’re going to pursue your dreams. You’re going to do what you want to do and you are absolutely going to make a difference.”

Guest speaker actor Malik Yoba grabbed the mic and addressed the graduates off stage, asking them what they learned from the previous remarks. After several answered, he summed up his message by saying, “Lift as you climb, be kind to each other and open the door.”

He added: “And make sure that you don’t have a 10-cent brain and $1 million arm.”

Salutatorian Elizabeth deGrandpre then reminisced about her time at DWSA and called the graduation a “bittersweet” moment after years of forging close ties with her classmates and teachers.

“We did it, but not alone. The people in my life and my support system are the reason that I am here today,” she said.

“Thanks to all of my Denzel teachers, new and old. You have inspired me to want to become a teacher myself and share my love of math with students,” said Elizabeth, who will study math and be a Performing Arts Scholar at RIT in the fall.

“While we may be going off in different directions next year, you will always not only have a place to visit but a place in my heart. You have turned four years of high school into four years of happiness and joy that I will look back on for years to come,” she added.

Class President Nasma Mohammed addressed her fellow graduates, telling them they were all “ready to embark on new adventures beyond the familiar comfort of these walls” after four years of high school.

 “As your class president, I've had the privilege of witnessing our journey, our growth and our transformation. We've celebrated victories in the classroom and on the stage. We've supported each other through challenges, stress, heartbreaks, moments of doubt, the good times and the bad.

Calling it a “surreal” moment, class valedictorian Charlotte Watson addressed her fellow graduates by noting that it was no easy task to sum up her time at the school in just a few minutes.

“I have been here for seven years since sixth grade, when we were first the Performing and Visual Arts Magnet School and just moved into this building from the high school,” she said.

“We've all heard the saying, ‘it takes a village,’ and well, we are the product of our village. All of this could not have been made possible without my village, I know that for a fact,” Charlotte continued. “Our supporters have held us up throughout lots of trying times in these past years, some that we had to face together, and some separately.”

Charlotte, who plans to attend Barnard College in the fall, offered a few words of advice.

“Lean on others who have your back and keep moving on because some of those moments we're probably not even going to remember after a year or two. That being said, please do not downplay or compare your issues with others,” she said.

After being assured by Principal Thomas that all the students had met New York State graduation requirements, Acting Superintendent Dr. Smith declared them as graduates, prompting them to turn the tassels on their caps and begin celebrating with their families and friends. 

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