DANVERS — St. John’s Preparatory School held its 111th Commencement exercises Saturday morning.
Headmaster Edward P. Hardiman, Ph.D. conferred diplomas upon 258 graduates during an outdoor, socially-distanced ceremony held on Cronin Memorial Stadium’s Glatz Field.
“There are no appropriate words that could aptly capture what each person in this stadium has experienced since 2:45 pm on March 12 of 2020 (due to the Commonwealth’s state of emergency declaration),” said Dr. Hardiman, adding that the class was the first since 1948 to include students who started as seventh graders.
“It would be foolhardy to attempt to summarize this experience given that each of you has endured this public health crisis in different ways, with different challenges and different outcomes,” Dr. Hardiman said. “While you each have different gifts, talents and experiences, you have made connections, built bridges and overcome obstacles, and you’ve done it beyond just the last 435 days.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to learn with you and from you throughout your time here. Keep building, keep dreaming, keep adapting, keep learning and always remember that you never walk alone. We are always with you.”
Michael Maddison of Lynnfield was the class valedictorian.
In his address, Maddison urged his classmates “to have the courage to be yourself.”
He reflected on his belief that all new graduates need to open their hearts and their minds.
“Who we all are is a mysterious mixture of the passions we choose and the identities we are born with,” said Maddison, who graduated St. John’s with a 4.73 GPA and will attend Dartmouth College.
“In my experience, many passions … are generally accepted. Identities are a bit trickier, since some identities are less accepted than others. We are multifaceted, but we are also completely in love with the things that make up our personalities. I leave you all with this: Make use of (life’s) moments — big and small — with everyone. Our diversity is a gift. Inclusivity is how we celebrate it.”
Fifty-two percent of the graduates were members of the National Honor Society, while nine earned commendation as National Merit Scholars. A remarkable 37 Eagles student athletes signed national letters of intent to continue their sports careers in college.
This year’s seniors represented 44 cities and towns across the Commonwealth, including as far south as Brighton, as far west as Westford, and as far north as Newburyport. There were seven international students.
Family was a prominent theme, as there were 28 legacy graduates and many others with familial connections.
“My son, Jack, graduated here in 2017, my son, Thomas, received his diploma today, and my nephew will graduate next year,” said Brenda Ligh of Peabody. “This has been a tremendously difficult time for so many more people than just those in this school community, but having an opportunity to come together and share in these graduates’ experience as they close one chapter and begin another is something that I think we all cherish, especially because there was no guarantee an in-person graduation would ever happen.”
Marblehead’s Sean Heffernan and Lynnfield’s Andrew Vittiglio received Loyalty and Service awards during a virtual Senior Awards ceremony held earlier this month. Salem’s Noah Thomas received the Paul “Buster” DiVincenzo ‘50 Athletic Director’s Award. Peabody’s Nicholas Fursey received the Sean Lynch ’85 Scholarship Award, while Maddison received a Stephen J. Kiely ’68 Scholarship Award.
The top 5 percent of the senior class in academic performance (in addition to Maddison) included Nolan Adam of Marblehead and Mark Zolott of Swampscott. At Friday’s Baccalaureate Liturgy, Adam was recognized with a Campus Ministry Award.
St. John’s Prep will hold a limited-admission eighth-grade promotion ceremony for the Class of 2025 on June 3. The event will serve to recognize the class’s 113 students’ resilience, leadership and focus throughout this school year as well as honor individual and collective achievements.
