DANVERS — St. John’s Prep held its 115th Commencement service on Saturday afternoon as 288 seniors graduated. Head of Schools Edward P. Hardiman, Ph.D. P’19 ’21 ’26 conferred diplomas upon the class to celebrate them taking their next steps in life.
Massive crowds had already been pouring onto the campus grounds as 1 p.m. rolled around, before gathering into a huge tent raised over Ryken Field. At first, the skies were gray, but the weather was no match for the electric sense of excitement the crowd had while they waited for the procession to begin.
Sebastian D. Latusky, of Danvers, welcomed the crowd after the procession ended before everyone rose for the National Anthem. MS Campus Minister Michael Driscoll delivered an opening prayer prior to Senior Class Speaker Matthew J. Theodore, of Stoneham, speaking.
“I am deeply honored and privileged to say a few words on such an important day for my people,” Theodore said. He began to tell a powerful story of how he wrote a letter to himself during his freshman year of high school.
“As the only incoming student from Stoneham, I spent the entire summer anxious… Would I make friends? Would I play a sport? Would I fit in? Growing up, adults told me high school would be the best times of my life, second only to college,” Theodore said. “You’re going to make so many friends. They’d say, ‘You’ll blink, and it’ll be over.’”
Theodore continued, “What if I did not find those friends they promised me? As you can imagine, this did little to ease my fears. The first week of school was filled with introductions. Telling others my name and town, favorite movie, exploring… And, my favorite memory of orientation — crafting large towers of dirty chicken-parm plates with people I had only just met at lunch.”
When he was assigned to write a letter to his future self, which would be given back to him his senior year, he said that he wrote about a kid who “was becoming increasingly anxious” as the summer rolled away, but was confident he would make lasting friendships.
“Just like back then, I find myself asking the same questions that I once did as a freshman… Will I be successful? Will I belong? Will I find my people?” he said. “If these four years have taught us anything, it’s that we will… We will thrive, we will create, and we will face what comes next as mature, thoughtful, and caring young men.”
Valedictorian for the Class of 2025, Peter Truong, of Andover, then spoke about seeing the progression of life through photography, as well as only seeing the results in an image, rather than the work that went into it.
“I don’t know how to tie a tie, I don’t know how to parallel park, I don’t even know how to write in cursive… What really confuses me is this: I don’t know if this is a thing that all parents do, but mine really love taking photos,” Truong said. “Looking through their camera rolls, you can literally see the progression of life — from the plate of rice I cooked with my dad, to me practicing and failing at parallel parking.”
Truong referenced a picture of himself when he was young at his first piano recital, and said music has been a constant throughout his life.
“When you Google St. John’s Prep, what do you see? Athletes posing with trophies, constant theatre performances filled with talented musicians and actors… You see gallery openings with creations from our school’s most passionate artists. The robotics team and Model U.N., demonstrating their award-winning schools,” Truong said.
Salutatorian Theodore Karlin, of Swampscott, then introduced English Teacher Andrew Fondell, of Andover.
After making his introduction, Fondell began a speech that was blended with both humor and poetic insight. “I need to explain how a three-in-one shower product changed my life,” Fondell said to rising applause. He explained how a simple product like that propelled him to learn a bigger lesson — the importance of time.
“When Misses Fondell pointed out the absurdity of compromising on personal hygiene to reclaim 30 seconds of my day, at most — she inadvertently sent me spiraling,” Fondell said. He said he knew the graduates could relate to a packed schedule.
Fondell continued, “As crazy as it sounds, that particular soap sent me on a quest to better understand my relationship with time. When I look around at you, class of 2025, I am awestruck by how you seized every opportunity in front of you… But I’m equally astonished that you never cracked under the pressure to just do everything. Sometimes, you need to chill, bro.”
The audience laughed for a second, then Fondell continued. “If you don’t pause every now and then to reflect on your relationship with time, you may one day purchase a shower product that triggers an existential crisis,” he said. He reiterated that time is not money, contrary to the catchphrase.
Afterward, Dr. Hardiman encouraged the students to embrace each moment going forward as they navigate through life.
“Your class has achieved great things. We have talked to you about servant leadership, embracing everyone as created in the image and likeness of God, and we’ve talked to you about empowering all whom you encounter to be unique expressions of God’s love in the world,” Hardiman said. “Our hope and prayer is that you always remember these words, that you live by these words, and that you allow these words to inform your actions as you seek to become the change we need to see in our world.”
