Lynbrook Graduates Look ‘Into The Future’ With Friday Commencement

LYNBROOK, NY — A sea of green and gold graced the field at Marion Street School Friday, as Lynbrook High School’s class of 2026 took their final walk as high schoolers to receive their diplomas.

Lynbrook’s commencement ceremony began with the playing of the national anthem before it was time for speeches from valedictorian Jack Murray, salutatorian Aidan Michaels and principal Matthew Sarosy.

In his speech, Sarosy said the graduating seniors’ parents could still recall their first steps, even as they took the longer strides toward graduation.

“While you have taken innumerable steps since then, tonight, we are here to witness another important first step. This time, away from your childhood and into the future,” Sarosy said.

For his part, Murray introduced a few facts and figures to the crowd in attendance: 1,389 days from the start of their careers at Lynbrook to graduation day; 4,673 days from their starting kindergarten to their high school graduation. Despite all living the same days, Murray said everyone in the class of 2026 had lived a journey all their own.

“That is the beauty of choosing your own adventure,” Murray said. “The beautiful part about the myriad of options and variants that make up high school is that each and every one of our paths was unique — and valuable for the uniqueness, not in spite of it.”

Meanwhile, Michaels told his classmates that, as they left high school, they were in the driver’s seat.

“From now on, our lives are up to us, and that means our dreams are in our hands,” Michaels said. “It’s up to us to protect those dreams.”

Finally, superintendent Dr. Paul Lynch read a poem by 1941 Lynbrook graduate Edward Field, which called the village of Lynbrook “a gathering of families at the crossways.”

“Can we put the future on hold for just a moment and simply look around and hold this

moment — ‘a gathering of families at the crossways,’” Lynch said. “True, graduation is about you, but it’s also about your families, because they have done the journey with you.”

Upon the conclusion of the speeches, students took a few more steps: They crossed a stage and received their diplomas, before the traditional tossing of the caps and the conclusion of graduation day.