HATFIELD — “Drive safely, drive slowly, and support public works.”

At first blush, those words hardly seem the fodder for a commencement speech, but that’s exactly the manifesto that speaker John Garrett believes will help Smith Academy’s Class of 2025 lead a purpose-driven life.

The 18 graduates selected Garrett, who teaches history at Smith Academy, to give their commencement address at Friday’s graduation.

The ceremony began in traditional fashion, with composer Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” escorting the graduates past their families through the dark gym to a floodlit platform framed by flowers and string lights.

There, Garrett explained the metaphysics of roads — and how they are a “manifestation of civic duty.”

“It might sound silly, but driving through a work zone slowly is exactly the kind of behavior our founders were talking about,” said Garrett, who is also a member of Greenfield’s City Council.

Here the AP U.S. government teacher was talking about the Founding Fathers of the United States. He traced their enlightenment thinking back to the ancient sources of Greek and Roman philosophy, and their conception of civic virtue.

“By paying attention and going carefully, we reflect on the consequences of our actions, making a deadly collision less likely,” he said. “The road itself is a manifestation of civic virtue. We share and pay for it collectively.”

While leaving the Class of 2025 with insights such as, “Cynicism is a refuge for cowards,” Garrett challenged them to be moderate even when there are cooler personalities in the room. He also praised the close-knit class for the virtues they personally embody, signaling out several of them for praise.

“Annabelle (Geel) and Connor (Kowalski) are those students who are dedicated and hard working, but lack any self aggrandizement or arrogance,” he said.

“To practice respect means regarding everyone as equals,” he said. “One thing I appreciate about Ian (Guzowski) is how much he reflects on the perspectives of others.”

He describes Madison Zononi as one of the school’s most generous students.

“Did she really make the cupcake she’s handing you just for you?” said Garrett. “Maybe, maybe not, but she seems to believe that everyone deserves one.”

Joseph Barcomb was praised for his diligence in taking his chosen duties incredibly seriously.

“I watched him write what appeared to be the entire AP Chemistry curriculum on my white board because he wanted to study. He’s still in high school, and they’re trying to draft him to be a manager at Target,” said Garrett.

He called Cameron Graves a natural leader. “He may not realize it, but when he comes to a conclusion, others listen. It’s because he thinks carefully and makes judgments accordingly.”

To the group as a whole, he said, “You didn’t run down the clock, you didn’t merely master academic skills in a dozen realms. You grew to be genuinely impressive and virtuous young people.”

Nearing the end of his address, he said, “You’re going to fail, you’re going to fumble, but the only ultimate failure is ceasing to grow.”

In his address to his classmates, salutatorian Lukas Punska said the fact that he was standing there was itself an act of resilience.

Punska, who will attend UMass Amherst this fall on a pre-veterinary track, said that he had a panic attack from public speaking as a sophomore that was so severe it constricted his breathing for a short period.

“While I may not have been resilient in 10th grade, I am now,” he said. “I know since I somehow managed to stand before all of you today, I know that each and every one of you can be resilient as well.”

In her speech, Third Honors Caitlin Graves, who will study communications and business at Endicott College, thanked both her family and the wider community of Hatfield, which she called, “one huge family.”

“Thank you for believing in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves,” she said to parents, staff and peers.

All of the night’s speakers touched on how special and unique it is to be a part of Hatfield’s small community, and even smaller school.

Guzowski, the school’s valedictorian, said he could only think of cheesy things to say while planning his speech. “But that’s what graduation is all about,” he said.

Nevertheless, he gave his younger peers a serious invitation to dive into the deep end of Smith Academy’s community life, and egged them on to join a sports team, sign up for a club, or volunteer.

“Now is the time to make those memories,” he said.

Superintendent and Principal Conor Driscoll announced that 2025 is special since it’s a square root — the result of 45 times 45. This is a rare occurrence, the last year being 1936, and the next perfect square won’t happen again until 2116.

Saying that while the future is uncertain until 2116, he added that it will be less bleak because the 18 Smith Academy grads are prepared to “square up and face it.”

2025 Graduates

Joseph Barcomb, Jack Brady, Emma Czarniecki, Caitlin Graves, Cameron Graves, Rachel Grogan, Ian Guzowski, Miles Hainsworth, Piper Higuera, Alexa Jagodzinski, Connor Kowalski, Ryan McCoy, Lukas Punska, Robert Slysz III, Annabelle Geel, Jake Wilcox, Garrett Willard, Madison Zononi