Walt Whitman High School officially honored its Class of 2026 on Friday evening, June 26th, during the school’s 96th Commencement ceremony. 483 graduates received their diplomas during the outdoor celebration, held on the athletic field at Wildcat Stadium.

Emceed by Assistant Principal Jonathan Varlamos, the event brought together the entire South Huntington community of students, families, and faculty, to recognize our graduates' achievements and show support as they transition to life after high school, whether that be college, trade school, the workforce, or the military.

Walt Whitman Principal Dr. John Murphy opened by reminding students that while their focus has been mostly grade-oriented while in high school, they are so much more than test scores.  “As I look out at all of you this evening, I want you to know something. I don't simply see just faceless or nameless graduates. I don't see GPAs, class ranks, transcripts, test scores, or college acceptance letters. I see people who have grown, those that have taken on the world and say ‘I can’ to whatever is before them. 

I see young men and women who have spent the last four years discovering who they are. I see students who learned that success is not always about being the smartest person in the room, but often about being the person willing to keep moving forward when things become difficult.

I have seen the confidence in you to walk into unfamiliar situations and trust yourself. It is the courage to fail, learn, and try again. Those qualities will carry you much farther in life than any grade or test score ever could,” said Dr. Murphy.

District Superintendent Dr. Vito D’Elia praised both the students and the families who supported them throughout their educational journey. “Tonight is a celebration of your accomplishments, your resilience, and the incredible journey that has brought you to this moment. It is also a celebration for the parents and families who somehow managed to survive eighteen years of early morning wake-up calls, forgotten homework, last minute projects, athletic schedules, and college applications. Parents, tonight belongs to you as much as it belongs to our graduates,” said Dr. D’Elia.

The Class of 2026's top two students both chose to speak about the power of love and the continuing need for human connection in their commencement addresses.

“As long as you live with love, you will be great,” said Valedictorian Shayaan Siddiqui. “That type of authentic mutual love for ourselves and the ones close to us is more important now than ever before…Regardless of race, gender, class, and religion, we are all human. We all deserve to love and be loved. Just as you have all contributed to making Walt Whitman a community of love, I urge you all to bring that love to your communities, your family, and most importantly, yourself. In order to unravel the hate present in the world, we must begin by instilling love within our lives. So I congratulate you all as you walk across the stage and hope that wherever you go, you keep love in your life and hold your dreams close regardless of what this world throws at you. We live in a world where people feel the need to change who they are in order to feel loved by others. But the truth is that you are amazing even if you don't feel it. I trust that you will all remember that in those big fancy campuses, institutions, careers, and anywhere else life takes you.”

Salutatorian Jade Tintera also spoke of the importance of loving one another and being there for others as students move on to the next chapter in their lives. “As I began thinking about what I wanted to say, I kept coming back to one question: What made these last 4 years so meaningful? At first, I thought about accomplishments, grades, awards, or milestones, but the more I reflected, the more I realized what mattered most wasn't what we achieved. It was the people who walked beside us along the way. A few weeks ago, I asked some people close to me what love meant to them. Some said it was checking in on a friend just because you care. Others talked about the constant support of their parents. Some said it was when someone remembers the little things about them because they took the time to listen. Even though their answers were different, they all pointed to the same idea. Love is shown by how we choose to be there for one another. Sometimes it's the friend who says, ‘Don't worry, I'll go with you,’ when you don't have a date to prom. Sometimes it's a teacher whose impact extends far beyond the classroom, a teacher who stays late, keeps his door open, and invests in his students long after the last bell rings,” said Jade.

Following the addresses and presentation of diplomas, Senior Class President Isabella Galindo presented the Class of 2026’s gift to the school…three banners with different designs for occasions throughout the school year: “one for everyday use, homecoming, and a day like today, graduation,” explained Galindo. She then led her peers in the ceremonial “switching of the tassel,” - in both English and Spanish - sending a sea of graduation caps flying high into the air to mark the official conclusion of their high school careers.

Congratulations to the Walt Whitman High School Class of 2026! Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat! 
 

 

Walt Whitman’s Senior Class Officers prepare to go onto the high school turf for the start of the Friday evening graduation ceremony. 

 

Walt Whitman’s student leaders addressed fellow graduates and families in attendence at the podium. (Top left to bottom right: GSO President – Ana Pichardo Chacon, Ex-Officio Student Member of the Board of Education – Lucy Maniatis, Senior Class President – Isabella Galindo, Valedictorian – Shayaan Siddiqui, Salutatorian – Jade Tintera.)

 

 

As a long standing ritual from the high school hallways, senior Gabe Raynor gave principal Dr. John Murphy a pair of scissors to cut his long curly hair after recieving his diploma. 

 

New graduates proudly crossed the commencement stage with diploma in hand. 

 

See more photos from the 2026 graduation ceremony here.

Please enjoy this short video from Island Photography, capturing some of the highlights and memories from the ceremony.