Old Colony Superintendent Aaron Polansky yanked the microphone down to his height, giving a pointed look to Rep. Bill Strauss, who had just addressed the senior class.

"I have to thank my parents for my height," he joked.

Polansky then took a moment to thank the Old Colony Class of 2017 at the Opening of Senior Awards Night. "I'm the new guy," he said to the assembled seniors. "You've given me a reason already to call Old Colony home."

He encouraged the students to continue their excellence, vision and humanity as they leave Old Colony and venture into the world.

Some students shone exceptionally brightly. Valedictorian Paul Soucy was awarded 19 different honors, ranging from academic excellence to athletics and community service.

Senior class treasurer Savannah Lopes also received many honors, mostly to do wither her advanced cosmetology skills. She will be competing in the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, later in June.

As he handed the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Certificate of Academic Excellence to Isaac El Khoury, Polansky said, "I asked your teachers to write about you. They gave me pages and pages - so I threw them away."

"I'm kidding," he added quickly, before reading off an abbreviated list that touched on El Khoury's attentiveness and drive to succeed.

Tom Collard presented the Freetown VFW scholarship to a "tremendous athlete, a girl who played on the football team all four years, who never missed a minute on the lacrosse field, and who also played on the basketball team," - his daughter, Amy Collard.

The ceremony also paused to recognize four seniors headed towards military service; Jasmyn Andrade and Ryan Baker are enlisting in the U.S. Army, while Tim DaSilva and Jack Pelletier will start the next part of their lives in the United States Marine Corps.