The North Shore High School class of 2023 took their seats at graduation Friday morning, but one seat remained open. That seat was set out for Nicholas Pedone, a classmate who had died 10 years earlier,  but students wanted to ensure that he was included in their ceremony.

The ceremony commemorated the late student who died of cancer in 2013 at the age of 7. Students left a chair for Pedone and decorated it in his absence.

“He’s here graduating with us today,” North Shore High School Principal Eric Contreras said.

Students also invited Pedone’s parents, who received a standing ovation from attendees during the graduation ceremony.

Conteras praised the class of 2023 for their unity and the nature in which they band together. He said this is the defining aspect that stands out for the graduating class.

“You as students live by the motto that we are one united family here at North Shore,” Contreras said.

He compared the class’s unity to the meaning of the United States’ national seal, which depicts a bald eagle clutching olive branches in his talons and reads “E pluribus unum” – ”Out of many, one.”

“When I think of all of our graduates here today, I think of the many ways you all have come together, the many ways you have united to create something wonderful,” Contreras said. “Time after time, your many North Shore journeys converged and create one shared North Shore community, because you understand the meaning of being united.”

A rainy Friday morning could not weigh down the North Shore High School graduation ceremony as attendees ran for cover to the high school’s gymnasium.

About 200 students graduated from North Shore High School. Of those, more than half received the New York State Seal of Biliteracy

The ceremony honored valedictorian Ava Bartoli and Salutatorian Ruben Shonik, who both delivered speeches during the ceremony.

Bartoli commended her peers for enduring the trying times of high school, exacerbated by the pandemic, and said the challenges have taught them many lessons.

“We learned to value the time we have together and we also had the opportunity to be learning in a different way,” Bartoli said.

She said they are now ready to face anything thrown their way.

“We must take our lessons and experiences and use them to become the people we want to be,” Bartoli said.

Shonik shared a personal story of a challenge he faced just months prior to graduating.

He was responsible for coordinating the Tri-M mock NYSSMA, an opportunity for students to perform their solo pieces before the annual New York State music competition.

With a busy schedule, Shonik said he realized far too late that he did not have time to create a schedule for the mock performance until the day beforehand.

“I was immensely disappointed in myself and feared that I had completely dropped the ball on the whole event,” Shonik said.

When he finally released the schedule with every performer’s time, Shonik was then inundated with emails from parents and students   time changes due to scheduling conflicts and a few dropping out of the performance entirely.

Shonik said he experienced unrelenting mental pressure in dealing with the chaos of the event. But as it became more burdensome, he said it turned into a challenge that he was determined to overcome.

The performance ended up being an overwhelmingly positive experience for everyone involved.

From all of this, Shonik said he gained invaluable knowledge on meeting challenges, which he imparted to his fellow graduating peers as they all embark on an unprecedented moment in their lives.

“In the coming years, it is guaranteed that we will all feel suffocated by a task or several that seem overwhelmingly out of reach,” Shonik said. “However…leaning into work like this, rather than avoiding or fearing it due to lack of confidence in yourself, which can lead to lasting resentment, is rewarding.”