News

CHELMSFORD, Massachusetts (June 10, 2026) – Chelmsford High School held its 109^th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, June 6, at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, celebrating 363 members of the Class of 2026.

“While graduation marks the end of your time at Chelmsford High School, it also represents the culmination of years of learning, growth, friendships and experiences that have helped shape the young men and women you have become,” Superintendent Dr. Jay Lang told the graduates. “Many of the moments you may have considered ordinary will become some of the most treasured memories. … Years from now, it will often be those ordinary moments that you remember most vividly because they were shared with people who mattered.”

School Committee chairperson Maria Santos shared that she was the first member of her family to receive a high school diploma.

Maria Santos

“Whether you’re the first in your family or the 50^th to earn this diploma, just remember it represents a foundation of knowledge to build upon,” she said. “Our world is changing fast, and I personally trust you and your generation to keep us human strong, to move us all forward into a better Chelmsford and a better world.”

Principal Stephen Murray reminded the Class of 2026 that the future is bright and yet to be determined.

“Too often, people your age feel pressured to have every right answer,” he said. “Somewhere along the way, many young people begin to believe that one decision, one mistake, one success or one setback will define the rest of your lives. It will not. Your life is not set. Your future is not written in permanent ink. It is written, day by day, through your choices, your actions, your words and your character. … Your story is still unwritten.”

Faculty speaker Jennifer Orsini, a Whittier House counselor, passed on several words of advice that she has received over the years.

“If I could leave you with one life practice that will shape your relationships, your leadership, your success and your happiness, it would be this: learn to truly listen,” she said. “We live in a world that rewards talking – fast opinions, clever comebacks, being heard. But listening, really listening, is rare and it is invaluable.”

Cody DiStasi

Student Speakers

Salutatorian Jacob Lazar told his classmates that time is calling them to leave their high school lives behind and go forth to become adults.

“Our journey forward, transcending the boundary between child and adult, is a test,” he said. “It’s really hard to leave our lives behind, carrying only blind faith that we’re ready for our futures. But it’s supposed to be hard. That’s the point. … We cannot become ourselves to the fullest potential until we take the risk to trust the process.”

Class President Cody Distasi encouraged his fellow graduates to be themselves.

“In a world of 8 billion people, there’s only one you,” he said. “Each one of you in this auditorium today is your own, individual self, and I hope you always remember that. All of you can do special things that can make this world a better place.”

Katherine Evans

Valedictorian Katherine Evans said the thing she will remember most about her time at CHS are the small, mundane things she never could have predicted.

“For all the times I complained about an assignment and for all the days where I didn’t want to go to school, for each and every one of these bad experiences, there was a good experience to match it,” she said. “One might even say that for every bad feeling I went through at CHS, there was a whole era of good feelings waiting to begin.”

About Chelmsford Public Schools

The Chelmsford Public School District provides all students with multiple pathways to optimize their own potential for academic excellence, leadership, and social and emotional wellness. The mission of the Chelmsford Public Schools is to educate, engage, prepare, and empower well-rounded and knowledgeable learners to PERSEVERE through challenges, demonstrate RESPECT and INTEGRITY in their words and actions, are DEDICATED to their community, and display EMPATHY as global citizens while discovering and pursuing their full potential. This PRIDE-driven culture enables all members of the school community to support the growth and development of students. For more information, please visit www.chelmsfordschools.org.