The graduating class of Glen Clove High School celebrated all 290 members’ graduation with heartfelt speeches and advice.
Three graduating students were especially eager for this commemoration: valedictorian Mert Suyabatmaz, salutatorian Natalia Piasta, and honorarium Isabel Basil. All three students earned grade point averages of over 100 in their four years at the school.
Piasta encouraged students not to be afraid to fail.
“The beauty of youth is that there is always room for error, and it’s okay to start over,” she said.
Basil, the class president and honorarium, highlighted the memories she created with her fellow classmates and teachers at Glen Cove.
Basil said that starting high school during a “weird time in the world ” made her class more comfortable with discomfort, and that is what growth really is—walking into the unknown and choosing to persevere.
Suyabatmaz ditched the traditional script and delivered a speech that felt more like a conversation with his classmates.
Mixing humor and a bit of cocky charm, he had the crowd laughing within seconds. But beneath the jokes, he made sure to spotlight the people who mattered most. In a touching moment, he honored his parents, especially his father, an immigrant who never graduated high school but worked hard to give his family opportunities.
Outgoing Superintendent Maria Rianna encouraged students not to be deterred by not immediately succeeding.
“There will be highs and lows, victories and setbacks, but I know you,” Rianna said. “I’ve watched you grow into individuals who don’t quit.”
Rianna will be leaving the Glen Cove school district and moving to the Malverne School District as their new superintendent. Alexa Doeschner will take her place.
