Celebrate the 2022 graduation season on the South Shore with The Patriot Ledger's coverage
They played, they grew, they learned, they graduated.
It's commencement season on the South Shore, and The Patriot Ledger is thrilled to be joining the families of local college and high school graduates in celebration of this newsworthy milestone.
As the season progresses, this page will be your one-stop-shop for all things graduation coverage. Thank you for being here!
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Cardinal Cushing Centers
Michelle Markowitz, the president and CEO of Cardinal Cushing Centers in Hanover, congratulated the students for "overcoming challenges with grit and grace" as 26 students graduated with diplomas Saturday, June 18.
Joy was in the air as the students celebrated their accomplishments and were praised by teachers, school staff, classmates and their families. Cardinal Cushing serves a diverse population of students with intellectual disabilities from the ages of 6 to 22, both in day and residential programs.
Thayer Academy
Thayer Academy in Braintree graduated 119 seniors in commencement ceremonies Saturday on the campus lawn.
Valedictorian Charles Solari said he and his classmates made it through their high school years because they had drive, persistence and camaraderie.
"We are a class that have already accomplished so much," he said. "And we're just getting started."
Read more here: 119 graduate at Thayer Academy in Braintree
Quincy High School
Students and families of Quincy High School graduates sang the school song at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Tuesday, celebrating the graduation of 397 seniors.
Class President Sabrina Egan asked her classmates to say goodbye to their high school years and embrace a new chapter of their lives.
"As one door closes today, another will open for us tomorrow," she said.
Read more here: Quincy High School graduates told to live with love, 'be a force for good'
North Quincy High School
North Quincy High Class of 2022 President Oliver Smith asked students to reflect on a moment of adversity, whether failing a test or experiencing loss, then on the present at their graduation ceremony Monday, June 6.
"Your presence here represents every battle, every hard-fought victory from these past four years. At the end of the day, you are here, you have made it," Smith said.
Speakers shared messages about love, kindness and strength with the 345 graduates of the North Quincy High School Class of 2022.
Read more here: 'Embrace every moment': North Quincy High grads hear messages about love and kindness
Milton High School
Selected student speaker Angelina Colón's poetic speech recapped the 276 graduates' experiences, from learning over Zoom to the distance creating bonds between students.
More: Celebrate the 2022 graduation season on the South Shore with The Patriot Ledger's coverage
"We solved an equation that we didn't know how to do, so when you're feeling weak and weary remember the obstacles you moved, the negativity you overthrew, the motivation you tend to lose, the assignments that were past due. Through all the voices, chaos and commotion you held yourself up, fighting for something new," Colón said.
Read more here: Milton High School graduates 276, reminded to 'hold hope close to your hearts'
Blue Hills Regional Technical School
District school committee Chairman Eric Erskine recognized the students' courage as they left former classmates in their respective towns to start anew at Blue Hills. He applauded the class' perseverance through a school renovation and a pandemic. Erskine called them warriors, an homage to the school's mascot.
"Follow your heart, enjoy what you do," Erskine said. "Show love and compassion in what you do. This is when you will find true success."
Read more here: Blue Hills Tech graduates reflect on unique education, tightknit class
South Shore Vocational Technical High School
Student body President Grace Michel told her classmates to live in the moment and not "take this chapter for granted." Class President Gabriel Freitas encouraged his classmates to capitalize on what makes them unique, continue to overcome setbacks and never forget what South Shore Vo Tech taught them.
"Whether it be on a field or in the classroom, remembering the past helps you make decisions in the present," Freitas said.
Read more here: 'Don’t take this chapter for granted': South Shore Vo Tech graduates 150 students
Pembroke High
Graduates of the Pembroke High Class of 2022 gathered for photos, reflected on 13 years of school in town and threw their caps in the air at a graduation ceremony Saturday, June 4, 2022.
A total of 194 students graduated in a ceremony focused on togetherness, preserving the past and marching forward — together — to the future.
Weymouth High School
The 417 students of Weymouth High School's Class of 2022 received a standing ovation as they took a lap around the track, waving and smiling to their loved ones, before settling in for their graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 4.
Class President John McDonough reminisced on the class' time in the high school — entering as wide-eyed freshman, completing classes from their homes and keeping tradition alive during their final year.
"One thing we have learned here at Weymouth is that all these friendships matter," McDonough said.
Read more here: Weymouth High graduates called the 'community's most valuable asset'
Braintree High School
It was a simple question a teacher asked Evan Braho during Spanish class he was struggling with during freshman year.
"Are you alright," he recalled.
The problems Braho was dealing with that day weren't anything special or serious, but the exchange taught him something about the importance of empathy. Speaking at Saturday's graduation ceremony, the valedictorian of the Braintree High School Class of 2022 encouraged his classmates to follow this example.
"We have the power to extend our hand rather than pull it away,'" Braho said.
Read more here: Braintree High grads urged to extend a helping hand
Hingham High School
Hybrid learning, remote schooling and the joy of mask wearing are memories the Hingham High School Class of 2022 will carry with them, as will the pain caused by the sudden and tragic loss of a classmate.
Being able to take off those masks and see each other fully again and finding ways to honor and memorialize their friend will no doubt stay with them as a reminder that tough situations can be handled and will pass and that beauty and kindness can come from loss and pain.
Read more here: 'Strive to be kind': Hingham High grads pay tribute to late classmate
Marshfield High School
Class President Lily Reardon reminded students of senior sunrise on Sept. 1, a memory she said she will never forget. Reardon shared many moments that represent the connection between the senior class, from football games to prom to senior sunset.
"While the sun may be setting on this chapter of our lives, a new day, a new sunrise and our future are waiting for us," Reardon said.
Read more here: 'Roll Rams Roll': Marshfield High Class of 2022 has a lot to be proud of
Norwell High School
In her welcome address, class president Tia Cantor was the first to offer her classmates words of wisdom as she reflected on the individual experiences of her peers and the unifying bond they shared walking the school halls together. Cantor prompted the graduates and the audience to recall their own memories of high school and the importance of remembering “beautiful small moments.
“All of these big moments that you hold so tight in your memory are collections of small moments that added up to become who we are,” Cantor said.
Read more here: Norwell High grads encouraged to 'fly high, fly hard, and fly strong'
Cohasset High School
Bridget Kondrat took her classmates on a journey of the little things the Class of 2022 went through over the last four years as the senior class president opened the Cohasset High School commencement ceremony Saturday, June 4 at the South Shore Music Service.
Despite grade point averages and test scores playing a huge role in their school experience over the past few years, Kondrat said the graduating seniors are not defined by those numbers.
"We're defined by who we choose to love and how we decide to show it," she said.
Read more here: Cohasset High School graduates urged to 'lace our shoes and change the world'
Hull High School
Class of 2022 valedictorian Parry Harper urged classmates to take advantage of their unique skills during the 65th commencement at Hull High School Saturday, June 4, 2022.
"How you use that skill, that talent, defines who you are and who have you become," he said during his graduation speech.
He called for his fellow classmates, which totaled 65 for the Class of 2022, to make "impacts" on their own lives as well as the people around them.
Read more here: Hull High School graduates urged to find their purpose
Hanover High School
Four years ago, Isabella Kelley set a goal in a letter to herself: becoming valedictorian of the Class of 2022.
That accomplished, she set a new one at Friday night's Hanover High School graduation ceremony, and asked her classmates and the audience to make it theirs too.
"My goal is to make my future goal kindness and inclusion," Kelley said. "Being nice just feels good."
Read more here: Hanover High graduates get lesson on the difference between hard work and good luck
Scituate High School
Salutation Jason Adams traced the students’ years of education together, recounting games during elementary school recesses and new learning opportunities in middle school. After saying that the graduates will follow separate paths to share their talents with the world, he advised his peers to recall their years together.
“Take pride in and remember the family we’ve built over the years,” he said. “Cherish the time we get with one another and recall that we all are, and always will be, part of this family.”
Read more here: Scituate High grads bid farewell to their 'home away from home'
Rockland High School
Senior Class President Olivia Jones told her classmates to bring the "Bulldog mentality" into their future lives.
The class motto is: "once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog."
"Being a Bulldog is about giving back," she said. "I hope you take this compassionate environment and pass it along to wherever you are headed next, and show everyone what being a Bulldog is truly about."
Read more here: Love is in the air at Rockland High School graduation
Archbishop Williams High School
Valedictorian Katelyn Flynn said it isn't so much the major events that will be her fondest memories of her time at Archbishop Williams High School, but the little moments. Like goofing around with her friends or the can of Red Bull she would down on the way to school each morning.
At the end of her speech, Flynn pulled out two cans of Red Bull and handed one to school principal Michael Volonnino for a celebratory toast.
Read more here: Archbishop Williams High School graduates on track to lead
Fontbonne Academy
White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and several other members of the Class of 1972 joined administrators in congratulating the 61 students who graduated in the Class of 2022.
Clad in all-white robes and caps, the tight-knit class reflected on what it means to be "a Fontbonne woman."
Read more here: White House climate advisor returns to guide Fontbonne graduates
Weymouth Evening High School
A total of 54 students who needed extra support, were returning to school later in life or had responsibilities that kept them from a traditional classroom setting graduated with their diplomas Monday, May 23 from Weymouth Evening High School.
“I was having a lot of self doubt, and this pushed me to believe I’m good enough and I’m smart in these situations," Zachery Williamson, 19, of Marshfield, said.
Read more: Weymouth Evening High 'pushed me to believe I’m good enough'
Curry College
Milton's Curry College graduated 661 students Sunday, May 22 at a commencement ceremony at Mansfield's Xfinity Center.
Michael Curry, CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and a vocal civic rights leader, reminded the Class of 2022 that they have a purpose, encouraged them to “dream big" and asked them to confront and tackle the important issues of today.
Read more here: Curry College grads told to 'look fear and uncertainty straight in the eyes'
Notre Dame Academy
Students of the all-girls private school were praised for their strength and given one valuable piece of advice:
"Don't forget to call your mother," Catharina Armstrong, an alumnus of the school, told students during the 2022 Notre Dame Academy commencement.
Read more here: 'Bravery, humility, and gratitude': 79 graduate from Notre Dame Academy in Hingham
Quincy College
Gov. Charlie Baker gave the commencement speech at Quincy College's graduation ceremony Friday, May 20.
The governor, who will not run again this fall, shook the hand of all 460 graduates and encouraged them to team up with people who bring out their best.
"Nobody handed this to you," Baker said. "You earned it."
Read more here: Gov. Charlie Baker tells Quincy College graduates: 'You earned it'
Eastern Nazarene College
Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy awarded 169 students undergraduate and master's degrees at a ceremony Saturday, May 7.
Read more here: Eastern Nazarene College graduates told to 'seize the moment'
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore colleges, high schools graduate Class of 2022
