135 Co-op Grads Take Arts Education With Them Along With Diplomas

The lessons taught by the arts transcend barriers.

That was the message Lihame Arouna spoke to her classmates during her valedictorian speech at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School’s graduation ceremony on Monday.

With the tune of ​“Pomp and Circumstance” at their backs, 135 maroon-robed seniors were accepted for commencement, each with a diploma concentrating in creative writing, dance, band, choir, strings, theatre, or visual arts.

The venue for the graduation, originally slated to be Lighthouse Point Park, was changed to Floyd Little Athletic House at Hillhouse High School due to forecasted rain. Students will move on to study at more than 100 universities across the country, both in and outside of the arts.

“Theater applies to everything and anything that I do,” Arouna said. ​“Art really teaches us how to connect with our humanity, empathize with people and really connect with different cultures, and that’s a really unique experience that we can maximize in the future.”

In the fall, Arouna will head to the University of Pennsylvania as a Questbridge scholar, with leanings toward political or computer science. Her mother Atchalibire Amah said that although she will miss Arouna when she moves to Pennsylvania, she is excited about her daughter’s new journey.

Though not all students graduates will enter arts programs, many say the experience of an arts education in high school has been invaluable.

“Music changed my life,” said Alissa Boutviseth, who played flute in Co-op’s band. She recalled being connected to a ​“family” of other music students and teachers are the Neighborhood Music School. Those relationships, she said, will endure as she moves on to study business at the University of Connecticut.

Alex Dambruoso will be studying mechanical engineering at Central Connecticut State University, with a minor in music. He said that going to an arts high school made him excited to go to class every day and perform.

“We overcame all of these different trials by being at an arts school that couldn’t even get together in the pandemic,” said Dambruoso. ​“But it was still really exciting to wake up every morning and want to do our art.”

Schools Superintendent Iline Tracey\ congratulated the students on their ability to navigate through the confusion and uncertainty of the pandemic. 

“Your perseverance and determination got you here,” said Tracey. ​“Reach out, the world is with you.”

“So glad we made it!” sang choral music teacher Harriett Alfred during the ceremony.

Click below for the Facebook live stream of the ceremony.