It's been a long journey from the first graduating class of Montclair High school, back in the 19th century, to the 488 plus students who collected their diplomas last night, during the class of 2013 graduation.
Decked out in blue, these kids looked more like eager adults about to start their first job than young kids leaving childhood and headed for higher learning.
This year's class was polished, excited and happy, and as their teary eyed parents watched, it was obvious this class was prepared to meet their adult challenges in great style.
But these optimistic students were also somber: one of their classmates,
Eamonn Wholley, died of suicide in May. To honor and remember him, every student wore an orange ribbon.
Mayor Robert Jackson, who was the speaker at the graduation, had a very personal tie with the event: his daughter Taylor (in photo) was also one of the seniors graduating. She is the third generation of her family to graduate from Montclair High School, and the first to hear her father
address fellow classmates during their big night.
Congratulations to the class of 2013.
