RUMFORD — A day after postponing their outdoor graduation due to weather, the Class of 2020 at Mountain Valley High School received their diplomas under beautiful skies Friday evening.

The commencement was held in the school parking lot as parents and friends watched from their vehicles.

“COVID-19 took away the ending of our senior year, Olivia Welch-Blackwell said in her senior address. “There is no replacement for what we have lost. I will not list the things that we had to leave behind, as I know most of us have spent far too long dwelling on them anyway.”

Welch-Blackwwell said she wished she’d spent more time living in the moment instead of wishing it away.

“I want to say I’m sorry for all of you who lost your spring season,” she said. “For all of you who lost your senior musical. For any of you who lost anything that was important to you. It is OK to feel as if we were cheated.”

Welch-Blackwell said, “It’s OK to pity yourself for a moment before you look around at all the work that’s been done to still make us feel special. We have had time to reconcile with what we have lost. Now comes the time to appreciate what we have been given.”

She said while the class may not have the same elements of celebration of classes of the past, there is still reasons to rejoice.

“In this time of crisis and uncertainty, I ask that we all find joy in small things,” she said.

She advised classmates to look back at their high school career, remember and smile.

“These years are behind us now. Remember them fondly,” she said.

Welch-Blackwell also mentioned how her generation has learned to bridge the gap in communication.

“We’re more connected that we’ve ever been, despite any distance we might have between us,” she said.

“We have Zoom calls, Facetime, group chats, and so many ways to stay in touch that even 100 miles away can feel close to home. This is no small feat. Embrace this skill. Use it to your advantage moving forward.”

She said it’s not what’s been lost but what’s they have.

“We move forward with less celebration, less fanfare, but with the knowledge that we are loved and cared for by our community,” she said. “Remember, we are not what we have lost. But we choose to do with what remains. Move forward with purpose and confidence.”

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