Tornado Puts Graduation On Hold At Monson High School

MONSON (CBS) - High school seniors in the town of Monson will have to wait until next week to finally get their diplomas.

The graduation ceremony scheduled for Friday was postponed due to the devastating tornado that swept through town.

And seniors are now turning Saturday into a day of action. They have fanned out around town helping friends and neighbors clean up from the devastation, some delivering sandwiches and water to residents who can't get out to buy food.

"It's not that big a blow," said Amanda DiCristoforo. "I kind of want to help people here and get that done."

WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports

For class president Alex Joseph it's hard to think about anything but survival. His home was heavily damaged by the twister; the contents of a backyard shed blew right through the kitchen where he was standing with his father seconds before.

"I'm fortunate to be alive," he said. And though his graduation speech was written two weeks ago, there will now be a revision given his new perspective on what the town has gone through.
"A lot of work needs to be done to it now. It needs to be inspiring now, to get the whole town moving," he said.