Pine Bush High School graduated 413 students Friday evening, June 26, during the Class of 2026 commencement ceremony.

Family and friends packed the Thomas F. Lonergan Field stands and much of the field to see the festivities and wish the graduates well. The Pine Bush High School Wind Ensemble played Pomp and Circumstance as the graduates processed onto the field. Senior choir members sang the National Anthem.
Principal Aaron Hopmayer welcomed everyone, most notably the graduates, to this special night.

 

Superintendent Joe Lenz took to the stage and told the graduates, “Tonight is a celebration of achievement, perseverance and possibility. It is a milestone you have been working toward for the last 13 years, and a moment your families have dreamed about for even longer.”

He advised them that their futures are ready to be written.

“As you sit here tonight, ready to turn the page to the next chapter of your lives, I want to share a simple, yet profound message with you: You can be anything!” He named many different professions but added “You can pioneer a career path that doesn’t even exist yet. You have the potential to lead companies, start movements, transform communities and make a difference in ways you cannot even fathom today.”

Superintendent Lenz reminded the class that the road ahead will not always be a smooth one.

 

“The distinction between those who achieve their goals and those who do not lies in their approach to setbacks, as failure is a natural and unavoidable part of the process,” he said. “Every challenge you face will teach you something. Every obstacle will determine your strength. Every setback is merely preparing you for the success that lies ahead.”

Mr. Lenz encouraged the graduates to be courageous, resilient, humble and kind.

 

 

“Most importantly, believe in yourself, especially when others doubt you, and most critically when the journey becomes the most challenging,” he said.

“Class of 2026 your future is entirely what you make of it. Your opportunities are endless, and your potential is limitless. Go forward with confidence. Dream big. Work hard. And never give up on yourselves.”

 

Principal Aaron Hopmayer, who is retiring from the district in July after 25 years, told the graduates that today marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

 

“While your diploma recognizes your academic accomplishments, it also represents something much deeper: resilience, determination and perseverance.

“As I look out at this class, I’m filled with pride, not because you always followed every rule – let’s not rewrite history tonight – but because you kept moving forward,” Principal Hopmayer said. “You learned, adapted and grew through challenges that often seemed impossible at the time. Many of the mountains we fear eventually become the views we enjoy.”

Mr. Hopmayer encouraged the graduates to remember three things: Never stop learning, be courageous and make a difference.

 

“Class of 2026, remember that your future is not something that happens to you,” he continued. “It is something you create through your choices, your effort and your commitment to your goals. Do not wait for permission to become who you are meant to be!”

Mr. Hopmayer presented his principal’s awards, two to the top two students in the graduating class, salutatorian Leah Meberg and valedictorian Lucas Meisel, and two to members of the community. This year he presented them to Spanish teacher Kristin Raucci, who is retiring after 29 years in the district, and Dr. William Bassett, former superintendent of Pine Bush Schools and an active member of the Rotary involved in the high school Interact Club.

 

Salutatorian Leah Meberg

In her address to her peers, salutatorian Leah Meberg said she is lucky to receive her diploma right after her twin brother, Cole, and alongside all of her classmates. She noted that the members of her class have all grown into different people, shaped by moments exclusive to them.

“Now with our distinct strengths, preferences, opinions and beliefs, we will follow our own paths into the future,” said Leah. “I think this is why memories from high school remain important, even as one gets further away from them: because they are yours to create and yours to carry.”

She said Bob Dylan makes her a little less nervous about the future when he says “Life isn’t about finding yourself; life is about creating yourself.”

 

“Throughout high school, we have built a foundation. Now, I encourage you to expand on it. Take responsibility for your future. Recognize what you want your world to look like and find the courage to shape it. Make mistakes and learn from them; change when you need to; and allow yourself to be a little rough around the edges.”

Valedictorian Lucas Meisel

Lucas talked about how far he and his classmates have come, starting from elementary school through middle school and now at the end of high school.
“Now we are here today – our graduation day – celebrating our achievements, memories, friendships and all of the moments that shaped us into the people we are becoming,” he said.

“But,” he added, “if there is one word that I hope we carry with us beyond this ceremony, it is the word…yet.”

It is a small word with extraordinary power, he added.

“There were moments in school when we felt overwhelmed by a difficult class, a failed test, a missed opportunity or uncertainty about who we wanted to become,” he said. “We’ve been through a lot and, at times, it may have felt easier to believe we simply weren’t good enough. But ‘yet’ changes everything.
“Instead of saying, ‘I can’t do this,’ we learned to say, ‘I can’t do this…yet’.

“Yet reminds us that goals take time to achieve, that mistakes are not endings; they are simply a part of learning,” Lucas added. “Every obstacle we face is an opportunity to grow, to persevere, and to keep moving forward.”

He thanked the parents and families who have sacrificed for their students and provided encouragement and patience. He thanked all of their teachers, counselors, coaches and mentors. “You taught us lessons far beyond books and classrooms,” he said. “More importantly, you reminded us that learning is a lifelong process and none of us is finished growing.”

And to his classmates, he said he hoped they all remember the power of ‘yet.’

“Because our story is not finished…yet,” Lucas said. “Our potential has not been reached…yet. The difference we can make in this world has not been seen…yet.”

 

Congratulations to all members of our Class of 2026!