Creative Friends Save The Day At Coop Graduation

Coop High School theater student Imalis Cotto needed some help decorating her cap in time for graduation on Wednesday. So she called in friend and visual arts Coop classmate Oddo De La Cruz to lend a helping hand.

That friend-to-friend creative connection exemplified Cooperative Humanities and Arts High School’s creation of community through the arts, as Cotto was one of 120 students at the local arts high school to graduate during a ceremony at the Shubert Theatre on College Street. 

Walking with their departments, each student graduated alongside those who practice the same type of art — such as music, dance, creative writing, and theater as them. Each department’s character and specialty shined through in the students’ interactions.

Loud cheers from the Theater Department and singing from the Choir Department echoed throughout the theater during the ceremony. The support of graduates’ families and friends, as well as of the rest of their school community, welcomed them into the Coop alumni community as they walked the stage to receive their diplomas.

“I definitely struggled with my motivation throughout my time at Coop, which would come and go, but the support from my family kept me going. I have so much love for the Coop Theater Department and am proud of all of their productions,” said Cotto.

The graduates and their families walked into the theater to the melody of the Strings Department’s Prelude. The three levels of the theater filled up quickly as the music played and loved ones anxiously awaited the moment in which their seniors would parade into the theater with their class.

During the ceremony, graduates heard speeches from Valedictorian Adi Clairmont, Salutatorian Cor’daye Coleman, Hartford Attorney and New Haven Public Schools Alum Ashley D. McWilliams, and various Coop teachers and administrators.

The family of Janaya Winstead was especially proud and excited to be in attendance. Following the acceptance of their daughter into Southern Connecticut State University’s nursing program, the family acknowledged the support their daughter received from the Coop community. However, they expressed disappointment that their daughter is no longer eligible for the New Haven Promise scholarship program, as the family moved to Hamden just months before Winstead’s graduation.

“We always tell her to not quit and to have patience. Always focus on school, that’s the most important thing, and it’s really paid off. We’re very proud of her,” said the Franklin family, Winstead’s mother and stepfather.

The families in attendance were not the only ones who expressed immense pride towards the graduates; the faculty and staff at Coop did as well. One particular faculty member, Art Director Amy Migliore told each student she was proud of them as she shook her hand after they’d received their diplomas, teary-eyed and offering them hugs. Migliore’s first year at Coop was also the Class of 2023’s first year, so she spoke highly of getting to grow alongside them. 

Each Department’s representative — Creative Writing, Dance, Music (Band, Choral, Strings), Theater, and Visual Arts — read aloud the names of their graduates, each making reference to their department’s characteristics in their speeches.

“Look around, you are the main act,” said Assistant Principal John Nguyen. ​“Go forth, your canvases are now blank,” added Migliore.

Mayor Justin Elicker was also in attendance at the graduation. He made sure to congratulate Kurtis Hughes, Choral Department graduate who sang the National Anthem during the ceremony, and expressed awe for his talent, as well as for the community’s familial, supportive energy.

“I went to the Cross and Hillhouse graduations yesterday, whose graduating classes both outnumber you by a ton, but this is by far the most boisterous crowd I’ve seen,” Elicker told the audience.

Both Migliore and Elicker acknowledged the school’s principal, Val-Jean Belton, who led Coop for nine years, has worked in New Haven Public Schools for 39 years, and is retiring this year. 

“Class of 2023, you’ll always have a home at 177 College St.,” said Belton, concluding the ceremony, congratulating her graduates, and bidding goodbye to the Coop community.