‘At least we’re not graduating from Mainland,’ class president says, poking fun at cross-bay rival in humorous commencement speech
OCEAN CITY — Class of 2023 President Charlie Costal used humor, wit, charm and his commanding on-stage presence to deliver a graduation speech not soon to be forgotten.
Making references to social media, the COVID-19 pandemic and the generation gap, as well as self-deprecating humor, Costal told his fellow Ocean City High School graduates June 14 at Carey Stadium to leap outside their comfort zone, take risks and remember the value of seized opportunities.
Then he took a good-natured shot at cross-bay rival Mainland Regional High School: “As the great Mark Twain once said, ‘Hey, at least we’re not graduating from Mainland.’”
Perhaps a metaphor for their time in high school — their freshman year was interrupted six months in by a “two-week break” that turned into a much more protracted disruption — the weather threw one final curveball at the seniors on their way out.
It was sunny, warm and breezy — those gathered filled with excitement and good cheer — as the ceremony began, staff walking out in black robes and the students in red or white, depending on preference, to “Pomp and Circumstances” played by the instrumental band. However, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place by the end, as a steady rain began just as students were receiving their diploma jackets. The sun came out in time just after they threw their mortarboards in the air and began celebrating with each other, friends and family.
Principal Dr. Wendy O’Neal welcomed students, loved ones, special guests and the Class of 1973 to the gathering, saying “change was a constant” for the seniors.
“This persistent change brought about strong character traits and reinforced their resiliency to succeed,” O’Neal said. “The class demonstrated perseverance through tough challenges, exhibiting unwavering persistence to achieve and emphatically followed their passions.”
She said some found purpose in the classroom, some in drama and the arts and others in athletics, “but no matter what their expertise, they have all made personal transformations in their short time at Ocean City High School and I am confident that the Class of 2023 will take their transformations with them as they move into their careers, military service or continue their education.”
She offered parting advice, urging the graduates to listen to her “one more time.”
“Don’t listen to those who negate you and say ‘no, you can’t,’ but embrace the support of those who tell you ‘yes, you can.’ Take that change that was a constant and the norm during high school and begin making your own positive change. Share it with others and make bold, positive impacts on our world,” O’Neal said.
Delivering the welcome address, Costal said his goal was to “give you a ton of advice, but pack it into as short an amount of time as possible.”
Noting they are the generation of Tik Tok and Instagram Reels, he joked that if he wanted to make a large impact, “I should have probably figured out how to deliver this speech in under 30 seconds, and preferably by performing some viral dance steps.”
Heading to the University of North Carolina on a full academic scholarship this fall, Costal said many students’ parents urged them to make school a top priority. But he said for a lot of the graduates, school has been about a lot more than simply doing well in class.
He said they have worked hard at being top-notch athletes, scholars, leaders, artists, volunteers and friends — all in pursuit of making high school their top priority.
“I mean, we bleed red, am I right?” he said. “Mostly because, you know, that’s the color of blood, but also because this school has meant something important to us.”
Costal, the leading man in many of the school’s drama productions over the past four years, shared an anecdote that highlighted his commitment to taking chances.
“Let me tell you about an unmitigated disaster that happened to one senior in particular … this guy,” he said, noting he tried out for the Red Raiders basketball team as a sophomore.
“I love basketball, but I am not what you would call — what’s the right word? — ‘good’ at it,” he said. “I had no right trying out for this team. I had AP classes, lead roles in both plays, I was playing tennis for the school, teaching myself tap dancing for drama, taking professional singing lessons, I had the world’s best friend group and a demanding part-time job.”
“Suddenly, nothing else mattered. I needed to try out for that team, or at least prove to myself that I could try. So, I did. … I got my butt kicked on that court day after day, but I kept coming back. And then one day, after all that hard work … I totally did not make the basketball team. I mean, it wasn’t even close.”
Costal said he is grateful for the experience.
“Like so many of us have this year, I took a shot at stretching for a goal. The entire week of tryouts felt like I was living outside my comfort zone, and taking a risk felt exciting. I was elated to be pushing myself past my own expectations. Testing my limits.
“Years from now, when we tell our grandchildren and their pet robots about our high school experience, and the years that follow, hopefully we will be talking about all the opportunities we took full advantage of.”
He urged his fellow graduates to “seize each and every day. Join. Jump in. Try-out. Sign-up. Speak-up. Act out. Play. Create. Break the ice. Start a club. Start a movement. Or at least, start a conversation … just don’t stand by and wait for life to happen.”
Christian Ganter delivered the farewell speech, noting the unusual hardships the Class of 2023 was forced to overcome to get to graduation day.
“We started strong, with six months of uninterrupted in-person learning. We began a new chapter in our lives, with a new sense of freedom. What could go wrong?” he said. “Well, we were a rather unlucky group, having been hit with COVID before our first year had even ended, and not having had a full year in person until we were already halfway through high school. We learned with Zoom, we learned with masks, and yet, with the help of our school and our teachers, we learned together, and ultimately, we made it here, we made it to this day.”
Ganter said he and his fellow graduates “stand at the gateways” to their next chapter, “one that has all sorts of possibilities and winding avenues of exploration and opportunity; a road that will hit us with more hardships and obstacles.”
However, he said, if the past four years taught them nothing else, it taught them perseverance in the face of adversity.
“We know what it’s like to be knocked down from the start, to see things not go our way out of the blue. But when adversity knocked at our door, we didn’t board it up and hide in the corner, we opened it and faced it head on, and I have no doubt that when it returns to our doorsteps, we’ll be there, ready to stand up once again,” he said.
Ganter said the challenges have forged the character of the graduates.
“I urge you all to think back to when we were just young, naïve eighth-graders looking forward to our futures in high school, with ideas of who we would be on this very day, and I think we can all say that that person has changed and grown in so many ways,” he said. “These experiences and memories have molded us and shaped our futures, to where we now once again look forward. While we may sit here with a plan in mind, inevitably, just as they have here at Ocean City, opportunities will rise and outcomes will change, but once again, we are ready, and we are able to overcome, and to surpass our expectations.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
