RANDOLPH — Sixty-four members of the Randolph Central School Class of 2025 received their diplomas during commencement exercises Friday at the high school auditorium.

The ceremony began with a warm welcome from High School Principal Jason Halpainy. He recognized the opportunities ahead for the graduating class, noting that the students on stage would be the next generation of nurses, engineers, doctors, electricians, engineers, officers, therapists and more.

Kaine Kelly, superintendent of the Randolph Central School District, delivered the opening remarks. He praised the graduates, stating the class is defined by their energy, compassion and uncommon bond with one another.

As salutatorian Mia Volpe addressed her classmates, she encouraged her peers to pursue their aspirations and drew inspiration from singer Taylor Swift’s journey to buy back the rights to her first six albums.

“I’m hoping we all can use this story as motivation in our own lives,” she said. “In only a few months, we will all be spread around the country. In a sense, we all get the chance to begin again. One more time, we are starting the cycle all over as freshmen who have so much of the world ahead of us. We will be witnessing new environments, new people, new classes and new experiences.”

Guest speaker John Stahley, of Randolph, gave strong words of advice in his commencement address to the Class of 2025. The 1984 RCS graduate and an inaugural member of the school district’s Wall of Fame offered his insights and wisdom to the graduates.

This year’s guest speaker was John Stahley, vice president of Engineered Solutions for Fox Innovations and Technologies. The 1984 RCS graduate and an inaugural member of the school district’s Wall of Fame offered his insights and wisdom to the graduates.

“You have to make a lot of very, very big decisions in the next few years that are going to affect your life forever,” he said. “What do you do next, if you go to college, who do you marry or otherwise partner with, where do you live — these are all huge decisions that usually get made in your 20s, and they impact the rest of your life. So, I would urge you to think very carefully about what you want to do from this point forward.”

Valedictorian Madelia Griffith described graduation as turning the page on a new chapter in a book.

“The plot of your story keeps going and going and so must you,” she said. “Relentless determination is key for success. It is important to deeply care, to work extremely hard and to know how much something truly means to you. Don’t focus on being perfect, but never stop working to continually improve.”

Graduating in the Top 10 of the Class of 2025 were Griffith, Volpe, Caden Inkley, Emmaleigh Cowen, Maverick Schmeltz, Griffin Nelson, Emma Turney, Joshua Tackentien, Sadie Steward and Quinn Pence.

The list of awards and scholarships presented at the graduation ceremonies were not made available to the Salamanca Press by press time.

Randolph Central School held its 2025 commencement exercises Friday in the high school auditorium. Valedictorian Madelia Griffith (left) and salutatorian Mia Volpe led their classmates through the ceremony with speeches of fond memories and advice for their future endeavors.

Graduates

Sharilee Bailey, Sofia Bieniek, Andrew Bohall, Connor Braley, Erin Briggs, Katie Briggs, Morgan Briggs, Makenna Burrows, Chloe Chadwick, Domanik Clark, Taylor Costa, Emmaleigh Cowen, Hayden Darcy, Gaige Emke, Hunter Flood, Gabriel Frame, Alexander George, Madison Green, Madelia Griffith, Colin Hadley, Nathaniel Hahn, Connor Hardin, Drew Hind, Savana Hubbard, Baker Huntington, Caden Inkley, Rayn John, Elizabeth Jones, Warrier Kaltenbach, Devan Lanphere, Tara Lovern, Marissa Lusk, David Malone, Alexander Marsh, Jackson Marshall, Myah McClune, Peyton McClune, Dempsey McDonald, Alyssa Milks, Cassidy Miller, Avery Morrison, Payton Morrison, Griffin Nelson, Emma Patterson, Mason Peelman, Quinn Pence, Gabriela Perez Cruz, Jacob Pierce, Lindsey Plaskett, Zane Razey, Allen Root, Maverick Schmeltz, Kalob Sevenish, Donnilynn Sheldon, Sara Smith, Nichole Smith, Sadie Steward, Isabella Syracuse, Joshua Tackentien, Lilliann Thompson, Emma Turney, Mia Volpe, Wyatt Weaver and Nickola Whitford.