Sound School Graduates 58 Seniors Bound For College & For Trades

A sea of blue-clad students said goodbye to a unique high school experience filled with sailing, rowing, fishing, and diving.

The 58 graduates, drawn from 15 school districts, obtained diplomas from the Sound School, the regional agriculture and aquaculture magnet program held by the water at City Point, at commencement Monday.

Commencement was originally slated for Lighthouse Point Park. The event was switched to the Floyd Little Athletic House at Hillhouse High School due to poor weather.

Principal Marc Potocsky opened the event with a speech about the class’s perseverance through the pandemic: ​“Life is like a box of Sour Patch Kids. When you first put them in your mouth, they can be really sour. But if you persist, you get a sweet treat.”

Potocsky also bid farewell to two veteran faculty, Alfonsina Improta and John Buell (shown above). Each gave speeches commemorating their classroom experiences.

“You were my teachers,” Buell said, pointing to the graduating class.

Class valedictorian Leif Dykstra (pictured above) echoed a similar level of gratitude towards his teachers.

“Our teachers have helped to push us through both traditional teaching and unique methods,” Dykstra said in his address. ​“That can only be accomplished through our working with one another.”

Dykstra said spending hours in the Sound School’s ​“Aqualab” and going on a five-day voyage on the Mystic Seaport Museum’s Schooner Brilliant were highlights of his high school experience. He intends to take the dedication to conservation that he honed at the Sound School to Brown University, where he will study conservation biology and science.

Some graduates, like 17-year-old Anthony John Corolla, have chosen to enter tradesman programs instead of a traditional university. Corolla’s grandmother Anne Corolla said he hopes to apply for an electrical tradesman program soon.

“We’re so proud of him,” said Anne Corolla. ​“It’s just amazing that they can learn so many different crafts at that school [and] so much about the environment.”

Other graduates will take their experience on the water to posts in the armed forces. Jack Panula, who originally came to Sound with an interest in agriculture, became ​“immersed” in the school’s rowing team and Aqualab for four years. He now plans on joining the Coast Guard, a decision his mom Susan Burkowsky credits in part to Sound’s tight-knit environment.

“The staff is amazing. It’s like a family,” she said.

After the ceremony, students headed outside to pose for pictures, eat celebratory meals with their families, and prepare for their upcoming adventures.