In addition to praise and laudation Friday, 200 graduates in the Class of 2013 received a challenge.

Prior to handing out diplomas, Superintendent Paul Perzanoski urged the impending grads to use their powers only for good, while rising to the challenges of a world that changes daily — and not always for the better.

He implored them to learn to be comfortable with, and accepting of, the person each is in the process of becoming.

In his valedictory speech, Nathaniel Vilas spoke glowingly of his classmates’ academic and extracurricular abilities, comparing education to the composition of a symphony or the tuning of a complex instrument.

They have spent an estimated 12,672 hours in class since entering the first grade, Vilas said, which points out the importance of education. But learning done outside the classroom — which is less rigid and therefore more “daunting” — provides the balance and context to complete what is learned inside, he said.

“We may not always have enjoyed our high school education, but at least it was a constant,” Vilas said, “a daily occupation that didn’t involve much uncertainty besides the trivial matter of, well, exactly who would be our principal on a given day.”

Vilas added that while their metaphorical pianos do not have Autotune, the educations they pursue will provide each a wrench and tuning fork with which to do the job themselves.

In his farewell address, Jamie Ross echoed Vilas’s theme of extracurricular awareness as a complement to education.

Citing the “Life moves pretty fast …” line from the 1986 film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” which Ross described as “one of the most profound and influential films of the 20th century,” he reminded his peers that leisure can be as important as study.

“Life is for living, not for studying from a textbook or memorizing vocab,” Ross said.

“We must all remember that success comes in many forms and that happiness is paramount. We must remember to live passionately.”

jtleonard@timesrecord.com

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