In the hours leading up to the June 22 graduation ceremonies at Bayonne High School, students, teachers, administrators and grounds staff scrambled to get everything ready.
Many students arrived early, carrying the crimson gowns like precious cargo. Many also wore their gowns over shorts and sneakers. Some students laughed, joked, and even shouted. But just as many looked somewhat dazed, as if their long-awaited moment had come at last and perhaps too quickly.
Many parents came early due to the possibility of rain, even though the event took place inside the Richard L. Korpi Ice Rink, where seating is limited.
Despite the fact that the annual event seemed routine to the staff at the school, for parents and students this was a once in a lifetime event, with students getting one chance to make their way up the aisle to collect their diploma.
Parents, siblings and other family members came bearing gifts of flowers or balloons. A van parked in front of the school testified to some of the immense feelings that such days mean: “Congrats Matt! You’ve made it!”
Graduates still getting ready for the event leaned out of the open windows of the high school building, shouting at their friends and family. Some students just stared out into space, aware of the altered world they will face after the ceremony ended.
Time seems to tick slowly after four years, so the last hour before the march from the high school building to the ice rink seemed like an eternity for some.
Many parents gathered outside to snap a picture or cheer as their child passed, gathering along the march route hours ahead of time.
For Eliel Reyes, a security guard, this was the last ceremony he would attend at BHS, as he has already watched his sons take part in the graduation ritual. However, this one was special, as this was not only his last child to graduate from the high school, but also his daughter, Vanessa, who he said had his heart.
“I couldn’t miss this one,” he said, “even though I was scheduled to go to surgery today. I told the doctors I’m coming here no matter what. So they put off the surgery.”
His daughter, who he called “Nisha,” will be attending Hudson County Community College in the fall with the aim of becoming a computer technician.
Clutching his side a little in obvious discomfort, Reyes eyed the emerging lines of crimson robes for a sign of his daughter.
“Normally, I have a special whistle I do so when she hears it, she knows it’s me,” he said. “But I can’t do the whistle now. It hurts too much.”
Because extended family could not make the event, Reyes felt even more obligated to be there, holding up a small digital camera to capture pictures he would download into his computer to email to everyone once the ceremony concluded.
“Once Nisha graduates, my job is done,” he said, and then with a grin added, “but to tell you the truth, I’m still going to be driving her up to school when she goes to college. She’s my heart. While I tell my sons they have to go out into the world, I don’t care if Nisha stays home forever.”
Many legacies left behind
Cheers from family members and friends rocked the commencement ceremony in the Richard Korpi Ice Rink as the 522 graduating students entered.
This was a class known for its diversity and its generosity, as well as for some unique personalities, some administrators said.
The diversity of the Class of 2009 is very much reflected in Valedictorian Anh Hoang, who entered Bayonne High School requiring classes in English as a second language, and qualified for $815,000 in scholarships, as well as a fully paid four-year scholarship to Yale University.
In her speech to the class, Anh Hoang took note of the vast changes that students have undergone during their four years at Bayonne High School, and how they are about to go out into the real world for the next chapter of their lives.
“If we ever come back to Bayonne years from now, I have no doubt that we will come back as teachers, doctors, lawyers, mothers, fathers,” she said. “Be happy with the person you are now, but don’t stop being the person you can become.”
Salutatorian Gerardo Santacruz, who earned recognition nationally as well as locally, received a full four-year scholarship to the Massachusetts School of Technology.
For Schools Superintendent Dr. Patricia McGeehan, this moment marked a huge transformation in each student’s life. Each student taking his or her diploma was grasping a golden key to the future.
“You live in a time of great promise and opportunity with education as the key,” McGeehan said. “Along with academics, you have also learned to understand yourselves.”
McGeehan said this was a class filled with school pride, spirit and loyalty.
This means, she said, that the graduating class has learned about diversity, which allows them to move out into the adult world.
Going out into the world means freedom, a freedom that also comes with awesome responsibilities. But she said their last 13 years of education has prepared them to handle these responsibilities.
This class leaves legacy in academics, sports, music, fine arts, performance arts, and citizenship leadership, and students competed on local, county, state and national levels in each area.
Earlier this year, the school community came out in support of its wrestling star Jerome Otis-Harris after he was diagnosed with a chronic kidney condition.
McGeehan said that the graduates this year earned a total of $9,840,000 in scholarships to various colleges, and students excelled in nearly every area, including academics, sports, and the arts.
This class saw graduates accepted to Yale, MIT, NYU and other prestigious colleges, McGeehan said.