Dominic Merenda and Josh Stephens, who have landed jobs at General Dynamics Electric Boat next year, with Sound School Principal, Marc Potocsky: “Set your course, follow your compass, and don’t forget where you launched, right here off the shore of New Haven,” Potocsky told students during hi s speech. Salutatorian Sebastian Bianchine: “Every morning, our campus is lined with buses from numerous towns, even if the Hamden bus is late again. To me, this is the beauty of Sound School. Where else could a student forge this strong of connections with peers and also the adults around us?” Alejandra Reyes and her teacher Joe Rodrigo after graduation on Monday. Alejandra Reyes graduated from the Sound School Monday with a high school diploma and a certification in scientific and rescue scuba diving. Though she plans to study psychology next year at the University of Connecticut, Reyes said she wants to keep diving as a hobby. If she really misses it, she might even switch her major. Reyes was one of 83 Sound School students to walk the stage at a ceremony held indoors at Betsy Ross Arts Design Academy at 150 Kimberly Ave. The ceremony took place inside instead of on their 60 S. Water St. campus overlooking the New Haven Harbor because of the rain, which affected several New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) graduations. The Sound School is one of only two in the country with a scientific diving program, according to current Aquatics Coordinator Pete Solomon, who started the program at Sound. Usually divers can train only at the collegiate or professional levels; about 30 juniors and seniors from Sound get their certifications every year, which also entails two training trips to the Caribbean islands of Bonaire and Bermuda. Reyes went on both trips and said they were “incredible.” Her teacher Joe Rodrigo said that, without the exposure to those environments that the trips provide, students would not get to see and feel the impact that “little things in the food chain” can have on marine ecosystems. “We need great scuba divers, but we need environmentalists” as well. The trips were a highlight of high school for many Sound students — “the unique bonds we share allow us to do things that would be impossible elsewhere,” class salutatorian Sebastian Bianchine said in his speech, “like going to Bonaire or Bermuda.”  Monday’s graduation was the first indoor ceremony Principal Marc Potocsky has presided over, he said. He opened his remarks to graduates saying: “You have sailed, rowed, hauled nets, tested ropes, built and operated boats, built ROVs, raised fish, bred lobsters and oysters, fixed engines, cared for animals, and designed floral arrangements. Through all of that, you have learned that success isn’t just measured in grades, but in grit.” Aside from the few who are also scuba-certified, all graduates also leave the school with a Connecticut boating license and Occupational Safety and Health Administration credentials, according to Solomon. Sound is one of 21 schools in the state that is public and an Agricultural Science and Technology Education (ASTE) center, preparing students both for college and careers in marine biology, aquaculture, and agriculture, among other fields — it is the only ASTE center that enrolls every student in an agriculture program. Sound students come from all over the area, from “Westport to Westbrook,” Solomon said. Solomon said about 60 percent of students end up at four-year institutions after high school. Sixteen graduates have already secured jobs at General Dynamics Electric Boat, where they will build nuclear submarines for the United States military, a result of a partnership between the company and New Haven Public Schools that began this year. Josh Stephens and Dominic Miranda both plan to work for Electric Boat starting this year, they said. When Potocsky recognized Stephen, Miranda, and their classmates also hired by Electric Boat during the graduation ceremony, the crowd gave a loud cheer.  “It’s good money,” said Miranda, who is from Northford. Although he and Stephens are headed to Electric Boat headquarters in Groton together next year, “I hope we don’t get put together or we’ll get into trouble,” he said with a chuckle. Both said they decided to come to Sound having heard about it from friends of theirs who loved it. Neil Geist, a Sound alum and teacher for 26 years, explained, “the government wants to replace our fleet and make a whole new fleet of nuclear submarines,” with ballistic missiles and the capacity to stay underwater for “as long as they have food.” Electric Boat hired more students from Sound than any other New Haven public school this year.  Of those on their way to Electric Boat, Solomon said he is “proud that our students recognized the opportunity in front of them and really locked in. When kids see purpose in their education, they take over.” “Congratulations, Class of 2026. We are so proud of you,” Potocsky said at the end of his speech, “now go make some waves.” Dominic Carlo Gregoire and Jakub Schreiner smile (and tear up) after the ceremony. Katherine Bergeron, Nicholas Bergeron, and Isabella Bruce listen as their classmate Bianchine speaks. Valedictorian William Faulkner, who will be attending Yale University next year, and his mother Kristy Faulker. Faulkner said in his speech that he came to Sound expecting to become a marine biologist, but now is not so sure: “From last minute trips to the fish store to spontaneous frisbee lessons, I was swift to realize that my experience at Sound would be nothing like I initially thought.” The post Not Goodbye, But “Sea You Later,” At Sound School Graduation appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less