Looking back, going forward: Archbishop Williams graduates 140 in Braintree
BRAINTREE – Gina Matthews said all she ever needed to learn about leadership came during her time as a runner of the Archbishop Williams High School track and cross country teams.
A 1987 graduate of the school and the associate superintendent of the Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of Boston, Matthews was the main speaker at the school's 70th commencement Thursday evening. It was the first one in three years held in the school's auditorium, which recently underwent a $1.7 million renovation.
The school awarded diplomas to the 140 members of the Class of 2022.
Matthews, a former assistant principal of the school, said being a member of the teams taught her many lessons including setting an example, working together, putting in the effort and encouraging others. She said the school has prepared the graduates to be leaders.
"When your support made a difference, that's leadership," she said.
Valedictorian Katelyn Flynn said it isn't so much the major events that will be her fondest memories of her high school years, 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.
Salutatorian Caitlyn Fung said memories that would make her laugh helped her get through all the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Class President Dario Boncaldo also recalled the pandemic, which began in their sophomore year.
"We have been through a lot together the last four years. Some good, some not so good," he said.
Volonnino said students went through four different models of classes, including Zoom meetings. He said he hoped the students gained in other ways what they missed.
"This place will always be a home to you," Volonnino told the graduates.
Class of 2022:
Abington — Katelyn Flynn, Kevin Hamilton, Catherine Weafer
Avon — Casey Curran, Maura O'Brien
Boston — Brianna Adams, Emma Astrofsky, Emily Collins, Kristen DiBella, Maeve Doherty, Laura Donovan, Vincent Hua, John Kelly, Grace Mahoney, MaryChristina McGuire, Adam McLaughlin, Derrick Oliveira, Stella Paige, Abigail Quinn, Shannon Roche, Kaileigh Rosemond-Malone, Jake Swartz, Yixue (Jarvis) Wang
Braintree — Michael Batchelder, Bianca Boncaldo, Andrew Carragher, Quinn Cesarz, Elizabeth Fennessy, John Giannandrea, Cate Healey, Nam Huynh, Shane Kelly, William Lacey, Kyle Lynch, Patrick Maguire, Maxwell McHugh, Colin Pham, Victoria Robey, Kerry Shaughnessy
Brockton — Gabriella Damon, Errol Hurley, Mardochee Mexil
Canton — Caroline Tonsberg
Carver — Jacob Bellew, Colby Carey, Jackson Sylvester
Duxbury — William LeClair
East Bridgewater — Mason Abboud
Hanover — Claudia Casper, Sarah Kearney, Alana Sullivan
Hanson — Jayden Bixler
Holbrook — Dario Boncaldo, Costas Dhimogjini, Maverick Gildea, Molly Kate Gordon, Julia Jeune, Alexis Kinsella, Kayleigh Maynard, Saliesha Rodriguez
Kingston — Sean Holt
Lakeville — Caroline Bosse'
Milton — Joseph Creamer
Norwood — Matthew Bolduc
Pembroke — Jake Faisal, Kristina Krochko, Joseph Thurston
Plymouth — Jill Morse, Catherine Stevens
Quincy — Netsanet (Hannah) Assefa, Jacqueline Brown, Renita Chen, Katherine Cherwek, Mairead Curran, Alana Defelice, Ersi Doci, Maria Geary, Kassandra Genao, Colin Hingston, Proudley Louis, Helios Ng, Grace O'Hara, Karaline O'Toole, Barry Page, Cameron Sullivan, Katie Trinh, Swetha Venkatesan
Randolph — Jason Courtois, Doreen DeJean, Brian DiMaggio, Caitlyn Fung, Meghean Hansbury, Anh Le, Lam Dan Le, Tracey Maina, Sydney Starck, AnBinh Tran,
Rockland — Ailise Tracy
Scituate — Adam Stelljes, Aidan Walsh
Stoughton — Darren Belizaire, Sarah Weitsen
Taunton — Amy Donnelly
Weymouth — Nicholas Buccella, Zachary Coulson, Luke DiBona, Tighe Donovan, Jacob Dreyfus, Aidan Flanagan, Celia Ford, Jamie Fulton, James Goudey, Jessica Gustafson, Shawn Harrington, Nathan Herman, Max Hogan, Aislinn Kelley, Matthew Kowalski, Olivia LaBonte, Emma McLeod, Kelsey McWalter, Cole Murphy, Kirsten Murphy, Caitlyn O'Connell, Lucy Quill, Sean Regan, Megan Siegfried, Nicholas Smollett
Whitman — Elizabeth Rull
Brazil — Nicolas deSouza
China — Baima Baimayangzong, Zhuyi (Ben) Bu, Jinhan (Hans) Chen, Yuezi (Melody) Li, Sinan(Simon) Liu, Zhaoqi (Max) Liu, Tianxing (Daniel) Weng
Vietnam — Kim Cuong(Diamond) Dang, Phuong-Trang (Jackie) Nguyen Walpole - Sasha Powers
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Braintree's Archbishop Williams High School graduates Class of 2022
