Wetlands restoration
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June 22, 2023
Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg
thecitizenvt.com
PHOTO BY AL FREY
A family poses with their Champlain Valley Union High School grad after ceremonies at Patrick Gymnasium at the University of Vermont June 16.
‘Find purpose, passion’ in life, speaker says STAFF WRITER LIBERTY DARR
The prevailing message to the Champlain Valley Union graduating Class of 2023 was simple: When the going gets tough, find the chocolate chips.
On a day that was full of many firsts, the 350 graduating seniors and those who filled the benches in the University of Vermont’s Patrick Gymnasium saw happy tears, reminiscent words and, of course, ringing cowbells and flying chocolate as each senior speaker
showcased the unique personalities of the graduating class. Welcoming words shared by Anna MacFaden reminded those preparing to walk the stage of those who were there during their first steps, their first time hitting a home run or scoring the
game-winning basket, and even those moments spent crying doing math homework at the kitchen table. “Every outdoor sports game I’ve attended since the ninth grade, I’ve sat in the crowd and rang this bell,” MacFaden said as
she held a white cowbell in the air. “But the original people ringing the bell for us are the people filling the stands: families, parents, guardians, siblings, friends, new and old.” See GRADUATION on page 7