A sea of red and white caps and gowns entered the Hofstra Arena for the graduation exercises of the Syosset High School Class of 2005. Beaming smiles on the faces of the graduates and on the faces of their proud families, lit up the room and filled it with the warmth and excitement that only such a special occasion can bring.

"Wow, I'm on Jumbotron," exclaimed valedictorian Nicholas Herrmann as he took the podium to address his fellow graduates. His nostalgic memories of his favorite childhood characters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, received an enthusiastic response as he triggered memories in all of his classmates. But while Nicholas's Turtles have somewhat faded, the future of the Class of 2005 promises to be a long-lasting success.

Collectively, the graduates earned close to $11 million in academic merit scholarships, and virtually the entire class is headed to college to continue their education.

Speaking as a representative of the class, Lindsay Schare reflected on the differences that make their class so interesting and emphasized that while each of their experiences was very personal and individual, they all would always share the common bond of having attended and graduated from Syosset High School.

The class gift was presented by Student Government President Abby Garfinkel and Senior Class President Danny Grgas. In keeping with the theme of speedy communications, the class is donating an electronic message board to the school.

This year's graduating class was one of the largest in recent years. Of the 483 graduates, 271 earned honors in at least one subject, and 28 students received Highest Honors - honors in five subjects. Each student was called to walk across the stage and receive his or her diploma from a member of the Board of Education. As is tradition, the students celebrated the announcement of their official graduation with caps tossed high in the air.