Entropy was described by Great Neck South salutatorian Richard Zhuang as the measure of disorder or randomness.

While the graduating seniors and attendees may have wanted to groan at the thought of continuing their learning on a day to celebrate the conclusion of a chapter of it, Zhuang had a different idea in bringing up the chemistry concept during their high school graduation.

Zhuang said that while small actions like cleaning your room decrease its entropy, or chaos, the universe’s entropy is always increasing.

“With each passing moment, the universe is becoming more disordered,” Zhuang said.

He said this makes it a measure of time, a guarantee that the future will continue to become more disordered.

This is the feeling Zhuang said every graduating senior is experiencing: that their lives are inevitably becoming more disordered.

But while disorder sounds inherently negative, Zhuang reassured his classmates that it doesn’t equate to pure chaos.

“It signifies a wealth of experiences waiting to be discovered, opportunities to be seized and pleasures to be savored,” Zhuang said…our lives are not meant to be a static, orderly existence, but rather a beautiful tapestry of experiences, challenges, growth and discovery.”

More than 310 seniors from William A. Shine Great Neck South High School took the Tilles Center stage at Long Island University Thursday morning to graduate and enter into the perpetual entropic life ahead of them.

The ceremony honored valedictorian Jillian Chang and salutatorians Zhuang and David Feuer.

The graduation ceremony featured a series of student performances, including an excerpt from String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 27 “Un poco Adante,” “Con Te Partiro” and “Allied Honor (March)” by seniors.

The ceremony was also dedicated to late Superintendent Teresa Prendergast, who died a couple of weeks earlier from a ruptured brain aneurysm at the age of 60. She was planning to retire at the conclusion of the school year to become principal of Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead.

Graduating senior Hexi Wang read a memorial to the Prendergast.

“Her care, dedication and compassion for our students, community, faculty and staff made an impact on generations of Great Neck community members,” Wang said.

A South High School diploma will be presented to her family at a later date.

Student Body President Joy Yang said that while this graduation ceremony signifies an end to an era for the graduating seniors, it also is the beginning of a new chapter to embark on.

“But as we step away from the comforts of South’s bustling lobby and crowded cafeteria, we find ourselves standing at the precipice of the unknown,” Yang said.

Like Zhuang and his interpretation of the disordered future lying ahead of them, Yang too acknowledged that the future would be a challenge not easily navigated. But like Zhuang, Yang also expressed a feeling of hope for the graduating class as they embark on this impending challenge and explore the boundless opportunities.

“May we go forth and make a difference, leaving an indelible mark on the world,” Yang said.

Student speaker Julia Weinreich reminded everyone that while they embark on this journey, they are not doing it on their own.

“Wherever your next chapter takes you, keep your head up high,” Weinreich said. “The world outside of Great Neck may be a scary place, but you can do it. You have a support system: your family, friends, teachers and classmates. You are never alone.”

Feuer said that the graduating seniors are who they are because of their four years together at Great Neck South High School.

“Wherever we go, whomever we meet, whatever path we take, our shared experiences will live on within us,” Feuer said. “They form an invisible but unbreakable bond between us, one in which we can find comfort and strength, encourage and fortitude in this hectic, transient, beautiful, limitless world.”