From his wrist, Pittsfield salutatorian Evan Munoz dangled a burgundy coil key chain and an attached dog training clicker with a bright yellow button.

It was a gift from psychology teacher Amy Guimond that he received when he got the highest possible score in her class.

Guimond used the clicker in the course to exemplify conditioning – a psychological concept where one can be trained to exhibit a behavior upon receiving a specific stimulus. She conditioned her students to respond to the sound of the dog clicker by raising their hand to give her a high five.

“I just passed that along as my reward for him for being the most excellent student in the class,” said Guimond. “And all of his awards from last night, he’s wearing, and I noticed when he was giving his salutatory speech, under his sleeve, he was actually wearing the dog clicker, and it was a very meaningful thing for me to see that.”

Munoz received three medals at the senior awards Friday night and wore them to graduation. Since the clicker was also an award of sorts, Munoz decided to carry it.

“It feels final, I guess, probably because this diploma is so elegant. It’s so well crafted,” said Munoz, who will be attending the University of New Hampshire for mathematics and computer science. “It’s my reward for working hard from time to time across the past however many years, and it does feel rewarding.”

The 32 graduates of the class of 2025 sat neatly in three rows on the stage in the school’s gymnasium Saturday morning, while donning navy blue caps and gowns.

During the ceremony, the school prepared a special presentation where each graduating student received five white or red roses to distribute to those who played an impactful role in their lives.

Munoz was unable to give away all five flowers during the presentation, so, after the ceremony, he dashed to the platform where some still remained, grabbed a red flower and offered it to Guimond.

“I love this kid. He’s the sweetest kid in the world,” said Guimond. “And he’s going to do great things.”

Elise Berry, the valedictorian, addressed their journey to graduation and what lies ahead.

“To see you grow from the little kids I sometimes see when I look back at old class photos, to the young men and women that you are right now, feels like something that I don’t even know how to put into words,” said Berry, a Pittsfield native. “You’ve all had an impact on me, no matter how large or small. Seeing you all in your caps and gowns forces me to see the reality that we are no longer those young kids. It’s time for us to leave, and it’s time for us to grow.”

During her speech, Berry said that a couple of months ago, she was terrified about leaving Pittsfield. Despite her fears of experiencing something new, she decided to overcome them by attending the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the fall.

“Don’t shy away from something just because you’ve never done it before,” she said. “So try new things, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for all of us.”

 

Yaa Bame can be reached at ybame@cmonitor.com