LYNN — The 91 St. Mary’s High School graduates received thunderous applause from faculty, officials, parents, and friends as they entered Lynn Memorial Auditorium to celebrate the Class of 2018 commencement Thursday night.
Mary Delaney, interim head of school, welcomed graduates, including a dozen who made the National Honor Society.
“We stand in solidarity with you … share in your joy, and look forward to hearing your many stories of continued success,” she said. “May your life be illuminated with love, fun, clarity, vision, purpose, close friends, faith and compassion … and remember, no matter where life takes you in best and worst of times, you will always have a friend 35 Tremont St.”
John Patrick Carroll, salutatorian, who will attend Emmanuel College in the fall, said not all heroes wear capes.
“Some of them wear St. Mary’s uniforms,” he said. “To all of the students who have been here since the inaugural sixth grade, I congratulate you for all of your hard work … surround yourself with people who make you smile, go to places that make you never want to come home, do things you genuinely love, and be as positive as you can, because it will make every second count.”
Valedictorian Samantha Renee Saunders, who has been accepted to Providence College, praised the faculty, noting they’re obviously not in it for the money.
“These teachers really deserve credit for sticking it out as long as they have,” she said.
State Rep. Daniel Cahill (D-Lynn) commended the graduates on behalf of the mayor and the Beacon Hill delegation.
“I gave a little bit of advice earlier to a middle school graduation,” he said. “We were created with two ears and one mouth. Why? It’s because we should listen twice as as much as we speak. Those are words to live by, no matter your profession.”
Alumna Ellen O’Connor, a 1963 graduate who serves as treasurer at YouthBuild, a Boston nonprofit that assists at-risk youth, told a story about how she was temporarily held back by a St. Mary’s aptitude test that measured students’ strengths and weaknesses.
“There were eight or nine aptitudes that were tested, but I only remembered the one I got a score of 10 out of 100, which measured mechanical ability,” she said. “When I got the results I was afraid to lock a door for fear I would never be able to open it, or ride a bicycle. I missed out on lots of great stuff because I believed that darn test score and let it affect my life.”
Her advice? Don’t take every bit of feedback as a life sentence. Accept it at face value, as where you are at one moment in time.
“Don’t get distracted by negatives … but build on positives,” O’Connor said.
The full list of St. Mary’s graduates are:
Thoma Andrew Afflitto
Arianna Marie Alberti
Isabel Augeri Ausband
Craig Francis Barrasso
Julia Marie Belliveau
Kyle Mathew Bernardini
Anthony Bono, III
Catherine Cecile Bromery
James Mason Brumfield, Jr.
Aaron Anthony Burris
Rose Jeanne Callahan
John Patrick Carroll
Thomas Edward Cash
Alejandro Castrillon
Jarelie Ayanna Chuy
Mark James Collins
Grace Elizabeth Couillard
Jesse Nicole D’Orsi
Thatiana Davidson
Mykayla Rose DeLuca
Nicole De Souza
Nino B Echevarria
Fidelia Niyah Eleazu
Madeline Janet Faia
Leo Stephen Fama, III
Alexia Vera Finelli
Christopher Fioravanti
Caitlin Mary Foley
Abigail Grace Frary
Julia Samiah Gandolfo
Christopher Garcia
Peter Aristide Garuti
Lauren Caroline Gonzalez
Peter (Zihao) Guo
Owen Charles Harvey
Jared Cole Henkel
Taylor Sue Hogan
Alexandria Nicole Iacoviello
Calvin David Johnson
Nicholas Michael Khouri
Christopher William Kirby
Kimberly Le
Aedan Patrick Leydon
Hongyi (Landis) Lin
Jason Barry Loeser
Mhegana-El Louis-Jean
Eric (Junming) Ma
Kayla Michelle MagWood
Bryanna Marie Mahoney
Mathias Porto Martinez
Joshua Dawson Mateo
Richard Joel Mateo, Jr.
Caitlin Anne Mathers
Brendan Albert McCarthy
Natalia Hart McDonald
Sean Patrick McGuire
Kevin Michael Alexei McMullen
Natalie Rose Mellen
Onias Robinson Mirbel
Meaghan Margaret Murphy
Joseph Anthony Napolitano
Olivia Rachel Nazaire
Anthony Paul Nikolakakis
Maria Christina Nikolakopoulos
Arely Margarita Ochoa Alvarado
Millery Ann Porter
Ariana Prestia
Ryan Christopher Ramsay
Melanie Rincon
Alexis Isabella Rivera
Damicella Rodriguez Cataño
Danny Rodriguez Cataño
Gia Santaniello
Samantha Renee Saunders
Amy-Grace Savia
Nicholas Michael Scalli
Toni Marie Scearbo
Alexis Samantha Schumann
Marlon Emmanuel Scott
Emily Michelle Sparrow
MacKenzie Alyssa Spates
Kurt Alan Spellman
James Augustus Stiros
Leo (Bofang) Tan
Tan (Xuchen) Tan
Matthew Roy Tansey
Cime (Truc) Thi Thanh Trinh
Luis Antony Vidal
James (Zhongdong) Wang
Brenden Corey Willis
Majak Atak Wol
