Chelsea’s Class of 2026 Goes Forth with Shared Lessons and Memories

Bucket filling, funny memories and knowing people will always remember how you made them feel, Chelsea High School’s Class of 2026 will go down in school history as a high-achieving, genuine, humorous and kind group of Bulldogs.

Chelsea’s Commencement Ceremony was held under sunny skies on the afternoon of May 31, at Jerry Niehaus Stadium. Before a full crowd of family, friends and school district staff, the 202 graduates received their diplomas after years of hard work and commitment. 

Both CHS Principal Amanda Clor and Chelsea Superintendent Michael Kapolka delivered remarks that included advice for the graduates.

Out of her various advice lessons, Clor ended with the idea of bucket filling.

“It’s simple but powerful,” she said. “It means choosing kindness when it’s easier to walk away. It means lifting someone up when they didn’t even ask. It means knowing that the smallest act, a compliment, a helping hand, a genuine smile can overflow into someone else’s life.”

Emphasizing what makes Chelsea important, Kapolka said, “At its best this community has always been about people showing up for one another, supporting one another and giving back without expecting anything in return. My hope is wherever life takes you after today you carry a small piece of that with you.”

There were two student speakers at the ceremony who were picked by their peers to speak. They were Isabella D’ Alecy and Benjamin Van Hoek, both brought a humorous tone. From explaining radical acceptance, to advice from Mr. Pedlow, to rallying together to bring back the nacho bar, to the delicious chicken quesadillas and cookies at lunch, both student speakers gave the crowd many laughs.

Between rehashing funny memories, D’ Alecy emphasized to her fellow grads that they’re all important and so is what they bring to the table as unique individuals.

Ending her speech, D’Alecy said, “If you take one thing away from my speech today keep in mind that nobody remembers what you said or what you did, instead they remember how you made them feel. Realize you will never be perfect, but if everyone was perfect than what’s the point of life.”

Through his funny anecdotes, Van Hoek emphasized one thing they all learned as younger students and that was being “bucket fillers,” which means treating others with kindness, respect and empathy.

 “As we go forth into the world, I personally think advice is overrated, so I’ll leave you with this. All we can do is rely on the lessons we learned together. Work together, build each other up, push yourselves, and most of all, be a bucket filler. Congratulations Class of 2026,” Van Hoek said.