NEWINGTON - Members of the Newington High School Class of 2015 walked to their diplomas last Tuesday night at the Oakdale Theatre, while classmates reminded them that, while the milestone marks their arrival at an important destination, they are still on a journey.

       And Class of 2015 Valedictorian Alexandra Oliviera urged her fellow graduates to savor every step of it.

       â€�"Life is about the process-not the result,” Oliviera said during a speech prior to the presentation of the diplomas. â€�"Why should happiness be any different?”

       Class of 2015 Salutatorian Shelby Lynn Townshend had something to say about happiness as well. She quoted Nobel Prize winner Albert Schweitzer.

       â€�"Success is not the key to happiness,” Townshend said during her speech. â€�"Happiness is the key to success.”

       And the key to happiness? Do what you love, graduation speakers told their classmates.

       â€�"Whatever we choose to do with our lives, let that come from the heart,” said Class President James Oliviera. â€�"Follow your dreams, and bring someone with you.”

       That’s where friends come in handy and, that night, Newington High School Principal James Wenker had enough to fill the concert hall of, well, the Oakdale Theatre.

       But, it’s all about the quality, not the quantity, that truly counts, Wenker said. His message: To have quality friends, you have to be one. And in case you were wondering how to tell, just ask yourself what people think when your name pops up on their phone, he said.

       â€�"A few weeks ago I texted a friend and he wrote back, ‘Who is this?’” Wenker said to laughter from the audience. â€�"That’s not a good sign.”

       And then ask the person to your left that question, he told the crowd.

       â€�"If you don’t know the person next to you, this is a chance to meet someone,” Wenker said.

       I got off the hook--I didn’t have anyone sitting to my left, but for all those I’ve called for stories in the past, thanks for putting up with it.

       And the point of that exercise?

       â€�"It’s possible that I’m being observed tonight,” Wenker said to more laughter. â€�"So according to the rubric, I just got points for discussion engagement, managing transition and personalizing instruction.”

       But no, really. It fell in line with at least one theme--being mindful of the impact we have on others. That was just one of many lessons stressed by the class officers and educators who took the podium throughout the ceremony.

       Or maybe, it was just about the laughs.

       â€�"Never forget to laugh,” Townshend said. â€�"Don’t get so caught up in trying to make a living, that you forget to have fun.”

       And to close out a night during which a number of famous figures--John Lennon and J.R. Tolkien, to name a couple more--had already made their cameos in the form of quotes, Board of Education Chair closed out his last graduation ceremony with the words of UCLA basketball coaching legend John Wooden.

       â€�"It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts,” Finkelstein said.

       And the journey continues.