PROVIDENCE – The 51st commencement for Bishop Hendricken High School marked the end to a year that had seen the best of times and the worst of times, Principal Joseph Brennan told 210 graduates last Friday at a ceremony held at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul.
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Certainly the final year of high school for the Class of 2012 was crowned with triumphs. The school notched its 23nd state win in swimming and reclaimed the state title in hockey from Mount St. Charles — plus two more championships in football and cross country and a win in the academic decathlon. In terms of scholarships, the class set a school record of $18 million over the four years of college — with nearly $800,000 for the valedictorian and salutatorian alone.
But it was also a year punctuated by tragedy. One of the teachers lost a baby in a car accident. Two students, twin brothers Christopher and James MacKenzie, were involved a deadly highway crash that killed two others in another car and sent them to the ICU at Hasbro Children’s Hospital for three months. A third student, Zach Baccari, was battling cancer in the same unit.
“You have been tested over the last year and passed,” Brennan told students.
He said students and faculty had relied upon their faith to get them through such “unexpected events that shook us to our very souls.” He said the school had turned to God, as a community, with prayers for strength, hope, and the courage to go on.
At commencement, the MacKenzie brothers both walked up to receive their diplomas, to rounds of applause. The third student, Baccari, is expected to return to school next year.
Hendricken offers its students opportunities to compete and excel in the classroom and on the field, but it is that sense of community that makes the school special, said Salutatorian Ryan Sutyla.
“It’s hard to believe now, but in 30 years it won’t matter what you learned in junior year U.S. history, how many sports awards you won, or what your SAT scores were,” Sutyla told classmates. “Most of the facts and figures learned in the classroom will long since be forgotten. What will never go away, however, is the sense of fraternity and togetherness that has been built over the past four years.”
Sutyla, who heads to Hamilton College in the fall, also credited the extraordinary dedication of teachers — recalling one math teacher who had stayed overnight in a classroom with ten students so they could compete in a math event.
John Kane, the valedictorian, alluded to the recent transit of Venus across the Sun — a twice in a 105-year event — to ponder how the Class of 2012 would be remembered by posterity.
“What will the class of 2117 say about us?” said Kane, who will be attending Tulane University next year. “Will we be that small insignificant spot on the sun, or will we have a legacy that endures? No one will remember John Kane or any of us individually, but, in 105 years, I hope that our contributions as a collective whole—academically, spiritually, and athletically—will be etched in history.”
In addition to the valedictorian and salutatorian, one of the highest honors at the school is the Hendricken Man of the Year award, which recognizes a well-rounded student for his academic and extracurricular achievements and good character. This year’s award went to Rilwan Ilumoka, who received an inner-city scholarship to attend Hendricken and who rose early in the morning to catch a RIPTA bus from his Pawtucket home to the school campus in Warwick. Ilumoka will be continuing his studies at Providence College.
This year, Hendricken instituted a new award, the Brother Stephen J. Casey Christian Service Award, named after a Christian brother who served at the school for seven years. The inaugural recipient was Matthew Cowell, who had attended four mission and services trips offered at Bishop Hendricken.
Bishop Hendricken High School Class of 2012
Anthony J. Abel
Ashton Drake Acciari
Cole Harrington Ahlborg
Joseph Alexander Allmark
Ryan Robert Amalfitano
Kerwin N. Amo
David R. Annese
Joshua A. Anthon
Richard P. Audet II
Richard F. Bacon III
Brendan J. Baker
Jordan Aaron Barboza-Simpkins
Cori Andrew Battista-Amaral
Patrick R. Belbey
McKinley Y. S. Berriman
Matthew S. Bessette
Nicholas T. Bodziony
Nicklaus Boudreau
Ryan James Brannigan
Andrew Louis Breting
Patrick M. Brindamour
Robert Anthony Buehrer
Thomas P. Buonomano
Jason M. Byrd
James David Callow
Anthony S. Caminiti
Antonio Joseph Cannavaro
John Cardell
Kenneth J. Carlson
Dylan T. Casey
Anthony M. Castaldi
Christian Philip Anthony Castano
John Anthony Celona, Jr.
Ryan J. Cesario
Ryan C. Champlin
Michael J. Chapkounian
Kenneth B. Charron
Evan J. Chomka
Laionel Cintron
Michael Timothy Clapp
Howard J. Clift III
Mitchell J. Clough
Daniel W. Cofone
Ralph Cola IV
Aaron David Colaiacomo
Brian G. Condon
Jonathan Thomas Confreda
David Connors
Blake Michael Cote
Matthew David Cowell
Conor E. Curran
Jianan Dai
Joseph David D'Ambra
Christopher Michael Davey
Benjamin E. Davis
Jerre J. Dean
Joel De Melo, Jr.
Cole M. De Santis
Timothy E. Desmarais
Christian Graham Dessler
Patrick William Devine
Dylan James DiPalma
Daniel G. DiSchino
Zachary A. Eland
G. Thomas Esmay II
Mark Euell
Michael R. Fairbanks
Louis Falcone
Ezequiel Falero IV
Tyler P. Fandetti
Christopher Ferreira
Paul Theodore Fetter III
Justin E. Finan
Kevin John Flaherty
Stephen N. Fletcher
William Arthur Florio
Michael W. Flynn, Jr.
Bryan Fong Li
Brandon Robert Furtado
John Thomas Gage
Reed M. Gamache
Benjamin J. Gavin
Michael P. Gelardi
Connor Gerlach
Angelo S. Giarrusso Jr.
Sam Keaton Gibbons
Alexander Edward Goozey
Brian W. Gould
Nicholas DesRoches Grande
Daniel J. Grasso
Keenan Ryan Gray
Kevin Michael Gray
Maximilian C. Heintzelman
Jack D. Hendrickson
Scott N. Henry
Christopher C. Hook
Reuben W. Horace, Jr.
Michael D. Iavarone
Rilwan A. Ilumoka
Robert Anthony Indeglia III
Matthew Joseph Iovino
Won Gyu Jeong
Matthew J. Jimmis
John Patrick Kane
Ryan W. Kelly
Dylan R. Kicia
Steven M. Kind
Garabed Koosherian
Geoffrey Kenneth LaForce
James S. Larsen
Evan J. B. LeComte
Matthew J. Leonard, Jr.
William L'Europa
Mead Esrey Lockwood
Christopher R. MacKenzie
James C. MacKenzie
Patrick Garret MacLeod
Curtis B. Maderios Jr.
Paul Gregory Madoian
Jacob M. Magiera
Patrick Ryan Maguire
Matthew Malachowski
Andrew John Mancini
Gerry Joseph Manning, Jr.
Julian J. Mardenli
Osrolan E. Marroquin
Brandon Michael McCarron
Sean Mathew McGhie
Christopher M. McKay
Ryan Christopher George McNaughton
Gregory M. Medici
Dylan A. Montgomery
Richard E. Moore
Nicholas Moreau
Daniel Fahey Moren
Matthew P. Morisseau
Patrick Ellis Mulgrew
Samuel P. Munroe
Peter J. Murray
Zachary J. Nault
Daniel P. Nolte
Kyle Patrick O'Connell
Sean Edward O'Connor
Brendan Peter Pagliaro
Corey Joseph Palumbo
Thomas Edward Pannone, Jr.
Tyler J. Pare
Zachary J. Pare
Brent W. Parker
Nicholas Pati
Evan John Patten
Michael D. Pecchia
Oscar Perez III
Ryan Peter Petrone
Nicholas Anthony Pezzillo
Benjamin V. Pigoga
Alexander Daniel Powers
Zachary J. Prinscott
Nathaniel C. Pullano
Daniel J. Quinn
Remy James Racine
Ryan C. Rajotte
Michael E. Rego, Jr.
Brian Parker Reilly
Matthew T. Ricci
Carmino M. Riccio
Jacob C. Rinn
Andrew J. Robinson
John Dylan Roderick
John A. Roque III 2
Joshua Thomas-Theodore Rosado
Thomas Benjamin Roy
Blake A. Ruggieri
Matthew T. Sanita
Keith J. Schneider
Joel Joseph Sebastianelli
Nicholas A. Simone
David Milton Skurka
Tyler Houghton Sowers
Kyle J. St. Jean
William J. Stewart
Torrey Stricklin
Matthew G. Sullivan
Ryan F. Sutyla
Roy M. Sylvander
Benjamin Edward Sylvia
Matthew G. Tager
John J. Tardiff
Robert Samuel Theroux
Jordan D. Thivierge
Michael Joseph Thomas
Ryan P. Tiernan
Ryan W. Tierney
Paul Kenneth Trask
Bryan Treml
Mitchell H. Trottier
Dax Stephen Tucker
Alexander J. Veitch
Daniel E. Velazquez
Jason A. Vessella
Gardner W. Vickers
Joseph M. Vitullo
Mark S. Votta
Mark Joseph Vuono
Brandon D. Wagoner
William J. Walker IV
Andrew R. Walmsley
Nicholas P. Walsh
Aaron Meyers-Webb
Burke W. White
Aaron G. Wood
Joseph P. Zaydon
