May 27, 2025 By Carol Britton Meyer
The members of the Hingham High School Class of 2025 are looking forward to their June 7 graduation ceremony — the culmination of four years spent together through all the joys and challenges of school life and a celebration of their academic achievements.
Starting at 10 a.m., the long line of graduates-to-be will make its way across the turf field to their seats — weather permitting — before accepting their well-deserved diplomas with big smiles, handshakes, and high-fives.
Class president Ryan Burns, Vice President Matthew Cummings, Secretary Sienna Sullivan, and Treasurer Colin McNamara shared their successes, challenges, and biggest life lessons learned while at HHS with the Hingham Anchor.
Ryan Burns: Class President
The final 30 days of high school are such a unique phenomenon that I have heard about time and time again, but understandably have never understood until now. As that feeling of saying goodbye started to set in, our class suddenly got so much closer. It is not this abrupt struggle to hold on to what we have missed out on, but rather an embrace of what we have had in front of us this whole time. I have always prided myself on taking as many opportunities as I am given, especially in the setting of my high school. From Ultimate Frisbee Club to student government, and cross country to the math team, I am certainly not leaving high school with a feeling that I missed out on anything. I know that this is a shared sentiment, however. So much of high school has been a scramble to discover our interests and passions, so it is a really nice feeling to finally slow down and appreciate those with whom we scrambled alongside.
One of my favorite memories of this year was having the privilege to go back to my 8th-grade math class for Harbormen Helping Hingham day (8th-grade- Ryan would never have believed that I willingly went back). Along with embarrassing myself with 8th-grade level algebra, Mr. Gill, one of my all-time favorite teachers from HPS, asked me and a few other students to have a Q&A session with the soon-to-be freshmen. A recurring question that we heard repeatedly was: “What is better, high school or middle school?” A better question, however, asked: “Why is high school better?” Beyond a later wake-up and better lunch options, high school was a time for us to discover our individual paths and build a community around shared experiences. It was “better” than middle school in the way that it offered a different kind of growth — one where we could explore diverse interests, forge deeper connections based on those interests, and ultimately, learn more about who we are becoming.
These final 30 days are a testament to that journey, a moment to recognize the strength and camaraderie we’ve built while navigating those formative years together. Our class has so many incredible students, leaders, athletes, artists, and individuals.
These final moments aren’t just about saying goodbye or holding onto what is left; they are about celebrating the collective brilliance and the individual contributions that have made our time together so meaningful and unforgettable.
Matthew Cummings: Class Vice President
The Hingham Class of 2025 has a special place in my heart. I have been with these people all my life. From kindergarten at East School all the way to Hingham High School. What I noticed the most about this grade and what makes us so special is our ability to just accept people into our group and make the school feel like one. My sophomore year at Hingham we had an exchange student from Spain come to HHS. His name was Carlos, and for the first few months he was living in Hingham he did not have many friends outside of school. It wasn’t until December that my group of friends noticed Carlos’s struggle to find a group. So it started with a group of 10 of us from the Class of 2025, inviting him to group hangouts, sitting with him at lunch, and I even went to the gym with him every day. After about a month, he began hanging out with almost everyone in the grade. To me it was almost like he came out of his shell.
Our grade just accepted him, and everyone loved him. We were all sad when he left, but I have been talking to him and he is coming back this summer to see everyone again. I think this moment really showed what the Class of 2025 is about and how we didn’t care that he was different from us, but we accepted him like he was our own.
The Class of 2025 has had a lot of ups and downs throughout middle school and high school. I think our hardest experience as a class was during COVID in 8th and 9th grade — which are those years where everyone begins to express themselves more and the class starts to connect as a whole. Unfortunately, COVID set us back a little bit. People were sitting inside all day, which made some people less social. Also, in Hingham at the end of every 8th grade year, the entire class makes a trip to Washington D.C., but because of COVID our trip was taken away, which was another unfortunate loss. Although we were set back our 8th and 9th grade years, when sophomore year hit we were all social butterflies — creating new friend groups left and right and hanging out every weekend. Sophomore year felt like a success for our grade, because after two long years of COVID. we finally felt free again and able to express ourselves.
After the 13 long years of my experience in Hingham Public Schools, I think the biggest life lesson I can take away from the school is, build connections with as many people as you can, because you never know when you’ll need their help (or they will need yours).
Throughout my high school years, I made an effort to connect with each of my teachers. Not only are you able to build a relationship with them, but also if you need help with work, or an extension, they are more likely to give it to you than to someone who does not participate in the class. Connections also work with students around the school, because you never know when you’ll need their support in the future.
I would like to thank everyone in my class for such a fun time the past years we’ve been together and the participation everyone has shown throughout our class event. I hope everyone thrives in their future endeavors and congrats on graduation.
Sienna Sullivan: Class Secretary
I am going to be honest and start this off by saying that I am ready to say goodbye. I have made so many memories, met so many amazing people, and learned so much within the walls of Hingham High. However, it has been four years, and what’s ahead of me is exciting! I am ready for change! The Class of 2025 has been through so much together and as this school year comes to an end, each one of us holds so many different emotions. We have some students who are heartbroken to be leaving, unable to imagine life without their best friends by their side, and we have others who are simply excited to turn the page and enter the new chapters of their lives.
Although I may be one of those students ready to turn the page, I will remember the teachers and staff at Hingham High forever. I will never be able to fully express how grateful I am for some of my teachers. There are teachers I had freshman year that I still talk to on a daily basis. I had Mr. George and Senora Grafton my first year of high school and have them both again this year! Things have come full-circle, sitting in the same seat I did as a fourteen-year-old, but now as an adult.
Since freshman year it has been so evident to me that there are staff members here who are rooting for me, my high school success, and my future. From my teachers, to the front office ladies, my guidance counselor, Mr. Andrews — who is always helping me with my Chromebook difficulties — to the custodians who work tirelessly to clean up after each mess, I am genuinely so grateful. I love every single English teacher I have had. Mrs. Fennelly, Ms. Ross, Mrs. Lytle, and Mr. Raymond have taught me so much.
There is truly no better feeling than an English teacher complimenting your writing! If I could give any advice to incoming freshmen it would be to try and build relationships with your teachers. I am so happy that I chose to build strong relationships with my teachers, because it really did make my high school experience that much better.
I think it’s crazy that I still remember my first day of kindergarten. I have memories from every single elementary and middle school year. I was talking about these memories with my friends last week and learned that many of them didn’t remember much from their early years of elementary school. I think the reason why I have memories from so early on is because I had the best teachers. They made each year memorable.
One of my favorite memories from all my years of HPS was when I had the opportunity to go on the eighth-grade expedition to Puerto Rico. How lucky am I to have had the ability to travel somewhere so beautiful with not only some of my favorite teachers, but also my classmates? I will never forget that trip and all the amazing experiences such as swimming in the Bioluminescent Bay with some of my closest friends. This trip not only taught me the importance of travel, but how to travel right. I learned the significance of avoiding chain restaurants and supporting local businesses when in a new part of the world. I got to try authentic Puerto Rican food and support natives of the island along the way. I also learned that a trip becomes so much more impactful when you do your research before you go. I don’t mean researching, “Where are the best beaches?” but researching the culture of where you are headed. Clearly, I loved this trip and will talk about it for the rest of my life.
Hingham Public Schools has given me so much and has provided me with supportive staff, countless lessons, endless opportunities, and of course, delicious school lunches! I am someone who has always wanted to explore and travel this beautiful world we live in. I am proud to say that I will be attending the University of Hawai’i at Manoa this upcoming fall. But despite my eagerness to turn the page, there is absolutely no doubt that a part of me will always be in Hingham, MA.
Thank you Hingham Public Schools!
Colin McNamara: Class Treasurer
These next few weeks truly feel bittersweet. I cannot understate the excitement I know everyone in our class feels for the future.
I’m very grateful for the opportunity to serve as a leader for our class and to help build a meaningful legacy for our class over the last four years. The time spent here has meant so much to me, and it was a pleasure to watch our class grow into the people we are today and to see the futures that each person is now looking forward to. Each day felt a little bit easier knowing I had a helpful, proud, and kind community at school waiting for me.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take the time to thank and acknowledge all the teachers, staff, and administrators who made everything we accomplished at the high school possible. My list of thank yous could go on and on. I know that everyone shares the same gratitude to our families and friends, who served as pillars to lean on when we needed help. Thank you for encouraging us in times of struggle, celebrating our wins, aiding us in times of need, and embracing us when we just needed a hug.
To my peers, as our time in high school winds down, I encourage everyone to reflect on not only the moments that meant the most but also the little things. The walk from far, talking to a friend in the halls, turning to a classmate with a look of fear as you both stare at a blank quiz. All these moments were times I think I took for granted and the moments I’ll end up missing most. Thanks again for trusting me to help lead the class, and congrats!