Belmont top grads: succeeding in the pandemic required trust, belief in self

BELMONT — When asked about how they overcame the challenges of the pandemic to academic and personal well-being, Belmont’s 2022 top ten graduates did not preach about hustle or grit. Rather, they attributed their success to the ability to relieve pressure from themselves, to trust themselves and, even in the throes of “senioritis,” to find joy in their calling. 

After a decade together in Belmont schools, the top ten are preparing to leave behind what they describe as an earnest, supportive and bonded community of teachers and peers. But, nourished by the healthy competition they offer each other and the unwavering care of their teachers, they yearn to explore the world, to serve others and to be their own bosses. 

“There is a big student voice here,” said Valedictorian Chris Pare. Through participation in student advocacy groups and clubs, Pare said, students are encouraged to implement their vision for BHS. 

In the last four years, Pare, as senior class president, National Honor Society president, two-time student body president, member of the BRASS student leadership organization, co-captain of the track and cross country teams, co-president of the outdoor club and president and founder of the American Chemical Society – a group that offers general science outreach to younger students – has had a lot to say. 

Pare admits, though, that leadership does not make him immune to the toll of a rigorous academic workload and the strains of the pandemic.

“It’s a struggle to avoid burnout,” Pare said. “I got hit with senioritis hard at the beginning of this year.” Overcoming this feeling, Pare said, is not about pushing through it but re-contextualizing it: students should take pride in the investments made by their younger selves in their future and pause to enjoy the returns on those investments. Pare will attend Duke University to study economics. He is interested in working in global finance and hopes to travel the world. 

Salutatorian Ella Irving also used participation as self-expression: as a leader of the B3 Design group, Irving developed her passion for graphic design as functional art. Through engagement as vice president of NHS, a track and field and soccer athlete, secretary of the Spanish Club and award-winning student artist, fortified her web of support and friendship with peers.

Like Pare, she underlined the importance of trusting the hard work she had put in throughout her education as a source of resilience. Irving added that the bonds felt between students, and especially among the top ten, were a lifeline. 

“I’m not someone who reaches out for help,” Irving said. “So that feeling of group strength was important to me,” to get through tough times. Irving will attend the Maine College of Art and Design to study graphic design. 

“The school has a culture of ‘find yourself through participation,’” said Jada Edgren, class vice president, varsity soccer player, captain of the track team and officer of the Best Buddies unified program. “Which at times can be draining, but is so worth it because of the bonds you build with classmates and teachers.

Edgren will attend Southern New Hampshire University’s business administration program and compete on the track and field team. Though unsure of the field, she is certain that she will run her own business. “I want to be my own boss,” Edgren said. She celebrated how Belmont’s teachers and programs had empowered her natural leadership skills. 

Much of the group described a period during remote learning where they struggled to find routine and purpose. For Kaitlyn Bryant, as president of the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter, president of the school’s National French Honor Society and member of the NHS and National English Honor Society, this period was informative, if intense.

“I realized that it’s OK to take a step back and relieve the pressure you put on yourself, to understand that you’re only 18,” Bryant said. This self-graciousness allowed her to reform her routines around things she “actually enjoys” and made her remember to appreciate that “people will support me no matter what.” Bryant will attend the New Hampshire Technical Institute to study business administration and get her event planner certification. She dreams of being a wedding planner because it allows her to relieve stress from others on their special day while also running her own business. 

For Anna LaDue, who spent additional time in remote learning, creating routine while outside of a physical classroom was essential to remaining motivated and focused. LaDue said that relying on slowly re-established bits of normalcy were key to getting back on track. 

LaDue was able to immerse herself in outdoor, and out-of-school activities, working as a sailing instructor at the Lake Winnipesaukee Sailing Association and sailing on the Mendums Seacoast Sailing Team (MSST), organized by UNH. LaDue also worked at Lēf Farms, and helped build Belmont’s swim team with Jacob Dumais. She will study Marine Transportation Operations at Maine Maritime Academy, going on to a career in “driving the big boats” and traveling the world. 

In addition to building the swim team with LaDue, Dumais was a participant on two club swim teams and gave back through work with Swim With a Mission, a swim race that raises money for veterans organizations. In pursuit of a career in anesthesiology, Dumais will study biochemistry and molecular biology at UNH – a dream he developed while recuperating from surgeries for athletic injuries. 

Mitchell Berry – soccer captain, club soccer player and club alpine skier – relied on sports as a way to build steady routines and relieve stress. Staying active, Berry explained, was everything. Berry will study civil engineering at UNH. 

Jordyn McElroy and Oonagh Burwell found success by allowing their goals to fuel them, even when they were downtrodden. McElroy, who aims to become a nurse practitioner in gynecology, and Burwell, whose goal is to become a critical care nurse at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, will both join the nursing program at Colby-Sawyer College next year.  

“The biggest pressure placed on me was from myself,” McElroy said. This drive gave her academics purpose and structure throughout the changing modalities of the pandemic. 

Burwell, like several of her peers, faced down temptation to succumb to the challenges of pandemic learning. Confidence in her own potential kept her engaged. 

“I know how much I can do, and I shouldn’t waste that by giving up,” Burwell said. 

Isabella Lewis, secretary of her class and of NHS, Spanish Club vice president, cross-country co-captain, and Merrimack County 4H youth leadership team treasurer, described the mixed emotions their class is feeling as graduation approaches. 

It is relieving to have made it to graduation, Lewis said, and sad to leave BHS’s tight community behind, but satisfying to have persevered and met all her goals. Lewis will attend SUNY Plattsburgh studying accounting and business administration. She dreams of being the CFO of a large corporation or becoming a CPA. 

All of the top ten waxed verbose about the uniquely caring and hardworking faculty at their school. Each had a favorite to shout out; all had been touched by the work of a different teacher. 

“That’s the thing about small schools,” said Irving. “We’re genuinely so close with each other and the teachers that it’s truly sad to say goodbye.”