It’s hats off for the Class of 2010

By Ian Perrotta

If only education was celebrated every day like it was last Friday (June 11) night.

After 12 years of school – that’s 2,160 school days – the Hamtramck High class of 2010 held its graduation ceremony at Keyworth Stadium before a packed crowd which filled the stands.

The warm and sunny weather couldn’t have been a more complementary match for the 163 beaming seniors. And even if there were clouds in the sky, nothing could rain on the graduates’ parade.

Before the presentation of diplomas, several speakers offered their own views on the magnitude of the day at hand.

Co-valedictorians Jihan Aiyash and Tamal Sikder and salutatorian Zolok Datta gave their requisite addresses to the class, as did Superintendent Tom Niczay and HHS principal Dr. Kirk Goodlow.

The keynote address was given by Dr. Karen Young, a clinical psychologist and Hamtramck High graduate. As the salutatorian of the class of 1981, Young spoke about how it felt moving on to the big universities of higher education, reassuring the students that they would have no problems making the transition.

“This small school and small city did a good job in preparing me for higher education,” she said. “You have a solid foundation on which to stand, and it has prepared you to move on to the next chapter of your lives.”