Matthew Janger, principal at Arlington High School since 2013, delivered these remarks to the June 1 commencement.

Welcome to the 158th annual graduation ceremony for Arlington High School. My role today is to begin this event with acknowledgment, gratitude and (hopefully) a few words of wisdom. 

We respectfully acknowledge that the Town of Arlington is situated on the ancestral lands of the Massachusett Tribe. This tribe of indigenous peoples has given its name to our Commonwealth. We honor and pay our respects to the rich history, culture and enduring presence of the Massachusett Tribe and their descendants, who continue to inhabit and uphold their heritage in these territories today.

We have so much to be thankful for today. We have come together here after four years of change and growth. Please join me in thanking:

Paul Schlichtman, chairman of the School Committee, delivered these remarks at the 2024 Arlington High School commencement.

Superintendent Homan, Principal Janger, Rep. Garballey, distinguished faculty, family, friends, and members of the Class of 2024.

I had the honor of delivering this speech 20 years ago. People seemed to like it. As a believer in recycling, I thought . . . why not pull it off the hard drive? I mean, none of you heard my 20-year-old speech. So, here goes.

Members of the Class of 2004: I’ve got just one question for you.

Do you honestly think nobody noticed that half the senior class has been lurking behind shrubbery with Super Soakers? In 50-degree weather? In the rain?

Amy Chelariu, president of the AHS Student Council, delivered these remarks at the school's commencement.

Hi everyone, and congratulations to the class of 2024!

It's impossible to sum up four years of a person's life in a few-minute speech, and it's even harder to sum up 400 people's lives and do it without crying, but I’ll do my best.

High school is over, and there’s a lot to take with us, both good and bad, but at the end of the day, we’re mainly going to carry the things we learned about each other. 

You're not going to remember your homework you turned in late or the test you studied all night for. You’re not going to remember the games you lost or why you broke down in the bathroom that one time. Well, maybe you will.

Belen Sanchez Mathews, vice president of the Class of 2024, was an honors speaker at the school's commencement. 

Good afternoon family, friends, faculty and the graduating Class of 2024.

It’s a privilege to be able to address you all on this memorable day and share some of the sage wisdom I’ve gained during my time in high school. Well, by “sage wisdom,” I mean three words: "I don’t know." Despite long nights studying calculus and hours dedicated to writing English essays, learning to embrace this one phrase — "I don’t know" — is the most valuable lesson I’ve gained.

We entered high school as intimidated freshmen, trying to integrate ourselves into the unfamiliar life of a high school student and using our knowledge from High School Musical and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to shape our idyllic expectations of the next four years.

Dr. Thomas McCauley, who teaches mathematics, delivered his address as the faculty speaker at the 2004 Arlington High School commencement. 

Congratulations to you all on graduating from Arlington High School. You have worked hard for four years, through a pandemic, remote school, construction of a new high school and the move into our new building.  I have seen you guys accomplish amazing things.  I have seen Jonah make up his Rainbow Theorem, and then defend it well after he realized it was nonsense.  I have seen eight of you, Jane, Max, Ivy, Noga, Zoe, Grace, Berj, and Lilly tackle differential equations as a committee.  You guys have a remarkable ability to figure things out and you have used it to get a great education.

It’s up to you now to use that education.  My parting wish for you is that you will use it to think critically and always question things.  In particular, I want you to ask this question: “How do you know?”  

How do you know that what you know is true?

Piper Guiney, an honors speaker, delivered this address at the 2024 Arlington High School commencement.

Good afternoon, Class of 2024, faculty, parents and grandparents who went to school with Mr. Barts. I want to start by congratulating you on this "special" achievement, which only about 3.8 million high schoolers do yearly.

I would also like to thank those here against their will, the siblings and friends, and all those who accidentally RSVP'd yes.

When I first attempted writing this speech, I seriously considered giving up. I said, "I can't; I don't even know what to write about."

Dr. Elizabeth C. Homan, superintendent of Arlington Public Schools, provided these remarks at the 2024 commencement.

Good afternoon graduates, families and faculty, and congratulations. Today marks the end of one journey and the start of another; the closure of one book, and the opening of a new one. In moments like these, in our culture, we listen to -- or, in my case, give -- speeches as a way of marking transition. Often, these speeches look both backward and forward. My task today is to celebrate the moments that came before, and to highlight with anticipation and excitement at the possibilities ahead.

And so, I am going to follow the cultural script, with a few words about the moments you have mastered as a graduating class, and a few words about what I hope for you in the future. But first, I want to ask that we all take a moment to appreciate this moment. This in-between space.

Liz Reisberg of Shawnee Road, a Precinct 10 resident with an interest in recycling, offers options to town trash issues. Photo by Ceilidh Yurenka.

Trash: There’s a lot of it. Picking up Arlington’s weekly trash represents a significant cost to the town’s budget, $4 million annually for collection and disposal. Arlington produces 12,000 tons of trash every year, about 1,200 pounds per household.

So far, there has been no cost to Arlington residents for processing any recyclable materials, as the hauling company could sell the materials. However, the value of recyclable materials has dropped, and as a result no longer covers the cost of processing (sorting and selling) the material.

Because the market for recyclable materials is not as strong as it once was, the cost of processing materials is being passed on to municipalities. This means that Arlington will soon be paying more for collecting and processing recyclables in addition to the cost for our trash to be incinerated.

Mohamad Ali of Arlington, a technology executive and former CEO of two Boston-based companies, expressed this viewpoint first published May 21 by BostonGlobe.com under the headline “Targeting Muslims while they bank.” It is republished with the author's permission.

 About a year ago, I bought event tickets online through PayPal. They cost $200, and I used my credit card to buy them. Shortly afterward, I received an email from PayPal that said it needed additional personal information to complete the payment. I assumed my credit card was processed on the PayPal network. I called PayPal and was told that there was a security flag.

A what? I am an American citizen, have been chief executive of two American companies, and have an impeccable credit record. I wondered what the problem could possibly be. But PayPal would not provide me with any additional details without further personal information. The $200 charge was on my credit card, but my ticket purchase hadn’t been completed; PayPal wouldn’t send the payment to the vendor because of the security flag.

You have responded to our survey; we are listening

What do YourArlington's readers want?

As the 17 1/2-year-old site investigates changing how it looks and operates, its nonprofit board, led by a consultant, wanted to know.

So from Feb. 6 through March 1, we asked via this web site and Arlington social media. Here is a summary of your opinions.

Be assured: As we shape a new YourArlington, those involved are listening to suggestions from 105 of you. Our ability to carry out your hopes depends on your donations, which you are invited to do here >> 

Below is a brief summary of the survey. See the full results plus graphics here >> 

Greta Hagen of Arlington tells why she and her son, holding flag in photo, seek a better crosswalk design.

Meet the future of pedestrian safety: A 4-year-old resident and his mom are on a mission to make the crosswalk near Robbins Library safer for all. They are submitting a formal request to the Select Board and seeking support from Arlington residents.

The boy feels unsafe crossing Mass. Ave. — and with good reason. He and his family have almost been hit more than once.

"I'm sure you're thinking we put him up to this, but being fearful of crossing the street started the gears turning in his little mind," his mother, Greta, told YourArlington. "We're not transportation advocates, we're just following his lead."

She said the boy considered several alternatives — such as hiring a bear for a crossing guard, or converting Mass. Ave. to a park — before settling on a design.

He and his father looked up safer crosswalks and found one that fit the intersection by Robbins. It's a staggered crosswalk design with a pedestrian refuge island.

YourArlington's policy about your views

UPDATED May 18: YourArlington welcomes opinions of all kinds from local residents, including national issues so long as you can draw a local connection. For example, the war pitting Israel and Hamas has echoes here, as a resolution this spring refkects. Closer to home, Town Meeting is wrapping up. Letters are reviewed for fairness, factualness and taste.

Fact-based letters and opinion pieces about Arlington issues are welcome. Length of such letters should be no more than 800 words.

NOTE: When emailing a letter to The Advocate & Star, consider copying YourArlington at the same time. Your opinions will be published sooner.

Please support your view with facts and arguments that attempt to adhere to reason.

You may write on any subject, so long as you try to make a connection to Arlington. If you can't do that, then your residence in town will be a sufficient connection.

UPDATED April 16: Seven state officials, including Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington), and one Harvard legal scholar, have endorsed Mara Dolan, who is challenging incumbent Marilyn Petitto Devaney for a seat on the Governor's Council.              Mara Dolan

Devaney, who has held the seat since 1999, has not responded to requests for comment dating from February and provide list of endorsements.

Endorsements supporting Dolan, a Concord resident, include Lawrence Tribe, the Carl M. Loeb University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard; state Auditor Diana DiZoglio; Rep. Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn), Rep. Michelle L. Ciccolo (D-Lexington, Rep. John J. Lawn Jr. (D-Watertown), Sen. James B. Eldridge (D-Marlborough); Rep. Dave Rogers (D-Arlington, etc.) and Friedman.

Dolan is running for District 3 of the council, whose eight members (one vacant) advise Gov. Healy about a variety of matters, described here >>