The Madison Green was filled with smiling faces as an abundant crowd gathered to celebrate the 2023 Daniel Hand High School (DHHS) graduation. More than 214 DHHS graduates received diplomas on June 16 and were just able to squeeze in the ceremony between waves of thunderstorms that rolled through the area that evening.

Salutatorian Alice Walker spoke of her childhood distress of living up to the word “potential” but related how her education at Hand provided a foundation to turn those fears into courage.

“So, as we leave Hand and embark on our future adventures, we have this potential energy that has been instilled in us by our peers, our faculty, our administrators, our parents, and the greater Madison community. This energy is dormant brilliance, a transformative power which will turn our hard work into goals fulfilled. This energy is a boulder at the top of a hill poised to roll down with strength, unlit dynamite ready to explode in fiery greatness, or a drawn bow with an arrow eager to soar with elegance,” Walker said in her speech.

Walker added, “And as I stand here today on this historic green and reflect on these past four years at Daniel Hand High School, I think about the endless opportunities we have had to nourish our potential and fulfill the promise of each new experience.”

Valedictorian Mathew Xu joked about using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help write his speech but delivered heartfelt remarks about how his class was one of many who endured the impact of the pandemic and struggled to keep focus on their education during an incredibly difficult period.

“Our tenure as high school students have been riddled with catastrophe. During our freshman and sophomore years, not only did our class have to deal with COVID, but also prolific problems. I’ve never seen so many strange, sudden, and disruptive issues with laptop cameras. And that’s not it. Time and time again, students would come down with the worst illnesses right around test dates, losing out on valuable learning opportunities,” Xu said. “Emerging from COVID, I thought we would finally find some solid ground. Unfortunately, life was not so hospitable. After taking two years of online classes, we were dropped directly into the throws of Junior year, having to take exams for the first time in ages. It was like upgrading a swimmer from the kiddie pool to the Atlantic Sea.”

Xu made a point of recognizing how that experience will inspire the Class of 2023.

“It takes a lot of dogged determination to get to where we are right now. Going through the challenges that we have, I think it’s fair to say that we’ve all developed a tolerance: mainly for caffeine, but also for the roadblocks that we might encounter in life. Madison is a great town, for the simple reason that I think it has imbued each of us with two valuable ideas: that we are capable people with bright futures. It was this ideal that was on full display over the past four years; the tenacity we pursued our goals, in the classroom and outside of it, was full of aplomb. It is with absolute confidence that I say that each of us has the capabilities to walk the path through life, and where no path exists, to carve ourselves a new one.”

To see more photos from Hand’s graduation ceremony, take a look at this gallery at: https://www.zip06.com/photo-galleries/20230620/daniel-hand-high-school-2023-commencement/