“We are now the people we spent four years imagining.”
—Valedictorian Simone Alcalay

Gathering in the majestic Riverside Church, 83 Dwight School New York graduates, including 49 International Baccalaureate candidates and 26 award-winners, commemorated their various successes. 

Dwight’s Commencement this year was especially motivating, with speeches encouraging the newly graduated to be excited for their next journey. Dianne Drew, Head of School and Global Education Director, said in her speech, “Each of you brings your own story, your own journey, and your own irreplaceable spark to this moment… So go forward with confidence and purpose. Go forward with the courage to lead, and the humanity to make your leadership matter.”

Many seniors shared their spark on the stage — with Isabella Gonzalez, Max Greenberg (winner of the Henry Crehan Music Award for Performance), Ofer Rubin (winner of the Henry Crehan Music Award for Production), and August Pallad (winner of the Fiorello H. Laguardia Excellence in Social Studies Award) singing a beautiful rendition of the nostalgic Adele’s “When We Were Young.” Similarly, Suzie Wang tugged at the heartstrings of the audience with her version of Nikolai Kapustin’s “Nocturne Op. 20.”

Talent continued to spark, with a remarkable speech from Valedictorian and winner of three awards (French, Truman Capote English Award, and Fiorello H. Laguardia Excellence in Social Studies) Simone Alcalay. With a passion for the sciences (she’ll soon be studying Astrophysics at the University of Chicago), Simone chose to use the idea of time dilation as a metaphor for her high school experience. 

She said, “ I can't think of a better way to describe our last four years because somehow these years have felt both expansive and compressed… And it is that conflict between time simultaneously feeling impossibly slow and impossibly fast that best describes the surreal experience of going through these years and of being here today.”

Simone’s high school experience was one of support and comfort. Reflecting on the years past, she said, “It was just a very warm community and I felt comfortable talking to everybody and I felt very included… all the classes were just so fun and everyone got along. Every single class was very welcoming.” 

Salutatorian Matthieu Furno, winner of the Cliff Boro Science Award and the Theodore R. Jones Mathematics Award, shared analogous sentiments off the podium. In the future, he hopes to continue to be open to meeting new people, a lesson that he feels Dwight taught him. “I think that's something I experienced a lot at Dwight – was how kind and open and welcoming the community was… I think it's still something that I would like to bring wherever I go,” he said. 

He also shared that Dwight’s iconic mission, finding one’s Spark of Genius, is something that he will deeply miss and hopes to embrace further. He said, “Dwight especially has people who, in every subject, are genuinely interested and passionate. I think that's really important, because when you see other people who are interested and passionate, it makes you want to take part.”

The Class of 2026 leaves behind a legacy of warmth and kindness, while carrying their Sparks of Genius into the world. As the final notes echoed through Riverside Church and graduates prepared to turn their tassels, one message resonated above all: the sparks ignited at Dwight will not end at commencement. The lessons, friendships, and extraordinary accomplishments that defined these four years will continue to shine brightly in the adventures ahead.