Under clear skies and before a packed stadium of family members, friends, educators, and community leaders, Revere High School and CityLab Innovation High School celebrated the Class of 2026 on Wednesday evening, honoring graduates with a ceremony centered on community, resilience, leadership, and the power of belonging.
The ceremony opened with the presentation of colors by the Revere High School JROTC Color Guard and a performance of the National Anthem by seniors Emily Ardone, Dina Oufessa, Hadassa Negrini, and Izabelly Alves Dos Santos. Senior Jaleeyah Figueroa Capunay, the School Committee student representative and RHS Poet Laureate, led the Pledge of Allegiance and recited her original poem, Where Our Footsteps Meet, setting the tone for an evening reflecting on shared journeys and future possibilities.
Revere High School Principal Christopher Bowen challenged graduates to carry with them one of the lessons he believes defines the Revere experience: the importance of creating community wherever they go.
“Build community wherever you go,” Bowen told graduates. “The measure of your life will not simply be whether you found community. It will be whether you helped build it for someone else.”
Drawing inspiration from advice given by playwright and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda to students participating in Revere High School’s first musical production in more than three decades, Bowen reminded students of a message painted inside the school auditorium: “Remember to be a community every second you’re on stage.”
Bowen encouraged graduates to look beyond their accomplishments and recognize the countless individuals who contributed to their success, from family members and teachers to mentors, friends, and even those who challenged them along the way.
“Our society loves to recognize individual achievement,” Bowen said. “But none of us gets far alone. Every opportunity we have is shaped by relationships.”
CityLab Innovation High School Principal Dr. Stacey Mulligan highlighted a historic milestone for the district, recognizing the first group of students to attend CityLab from freshman year through graduation.
“This year, we celebrate CityLab’s very first cohort to attend CityLab from freshman year to graduation,” Mulligan said. “You are not just part of the first. You are the reason it exists.”
Mulligan reflected on Revere’s history as a city of firsts, from hosting America’s first public beach to its role in the American Revolution, drawing parallels between those milestones and CityLab’s emergence as Revere’s first innovation high school.
“Before there were traditions, before there was a roadmap, there was you,” she told graduates. “You built the culture. You created the energy. You defined what this school would stand for.”
Mayor Patrick Keefe also addressed graduates, encouraging them to embrace both empathy and perseverance as they move into the next chapter of their lives.
“Life can feel at times like a giant competition,” Keefe said. “I believe that the most powerful version of yourself is one that is both deeply empathetic and fiercely unrelenting.”
Keefe described empathy as a form of strength and intelligence, urging students to seek understanding even when confronted with different viewpoints and experiences.
“The world doesn’t need more people who are merely successful,” he said. “It needs more people who are kind, brave, and relentless in the pursuit of a better way.”
Student speakers echoed many of the evening’s themes.
Senior Class President Kepler Celamy reflected on the relationships that shaped his experience in Revere Public Schools, recalling teachers, counselors, advisors, and classmates who helped him find a sense of belonging.
“Success isn’t just about finding what you want to do,” Celamy said. “It’s about finding the people who help you become who you’re meant to be.”
Co-salutatorian Ethan Men, who will attend Harvard University in the fall, used stories about trying unfamiliar foods to encourage classmates to embrace uncertainty and take risks.
“You won’t know when you’re ready,” Men said. “It’s a leap of faith. That’s all it is.”
CityLab speaker Dulce Aguilar Cadenas reflected on helping build a school community from the ground up and the unique experiences that came with attending a new school.
“Completing our four years as CityLab students means more than just the achievement of completing high school,” Aguilar Cadenas said. “We’ve done much more than that by curating the experience for many other classes to come.”
Co-salutatorian Rose Cao delivered a heartfelt address focused on mental health, vulnerability, and the importance of seeking support.
“At the beginning of this year, I sought real mental health support,” Cao said. “After you take that first step, seek solace in your community. You don’t need to face anything alone.”
Cao urged classmates to prioritize their well-being and lean on trusted friends, family members, and mentors when facing challenges.
Valedictorian Adam Ashour celebrated the accomplishments of the Class of 2026, highlighting students’ success in academics, athletics, internships, early college programs, robotics, speech and debate, JROTC, and other extracurricular activities.
“We have directly competed against other public schools, charter schools, and private schools and prevailed,” Ashour said. “Revere High is on the map.”
Ashour encouraged graduates to take full advantage of future opportunities while remembering the educators and family members who helped them reach graduation day.
Following the student addresses, school leaders certified that members of the Class of 2026 had fulfilled all graduation requirements, and graduates crossed the stage to receive their diplomas. The ceremony concluded with a final acknowledgment of CityLab’s founding class and a celebratory dismissal from Bowen and Mulligan as families erupted into cheers.
For the graduates of Revere High School and CityLab Innovation High School, the evening marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Yet throughout the ceremony, one message resonated above all others: success is strongest when built together.
As Bowen reminded graduates before they left the stadium, “The stage is yours now. Build community wherever you go.”
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