'We're just getting started': 119 graduate at Thayer Academy in Braintree
BRAINTREE – Thayer Academy in Braintree graduated 119 seniors in commencement ceremonies Saturday on the campus lawn.
"Congratulations, we made it!" student Leo Breen said to his classmates during the invocation.
Chris Fortunato, head of the school, told the graduates to stick to their values and believe that the "golden ticket" is themselves.
"Carry your love and share it," he said.
Senior speaker Ryan Mullen cracked up the crowd up with quips about the past four years.
"We had ever more excuse to leave the class," he joked. "I turned off my camera, and changed my name from 'Cooper Mullen' to 'Loading ...' "
Mullen shared some wisdom about living in the moment.
"We have partially disregarded the present because we are so obsessed with the future," he said. "Live in the present."
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."
Timothy McCarthy, the commencement speaker, asked graduates to give parents, family and friends in attendance a round of applause.
"One thing I learned was to stand up for the people I love," he said.
Despite the "unprecedented" challenges the students face, McCarthy said he hopes they'll make the right choices.
"I want to give you hope," he said. "Zoom out, Class 2022. Take your roots and your wings and soar."
The Class of 2022
Jarvis Adams Jr., Christopher Barrett, Maeve Bettencourt, Alec Borges, Carolyn Bowen, Leo Breen, Regan Brewster, Jake Brini, Michael Brini, Abigail Broderick, Caroline Brooks, Lindsay Burgess, Alejandro Calderon, Andres Calderon, Ainsley Campbell, Kyle Cedrone, Benjamin Chaskes, Ryan Chiari, Stella Chiari, Eva Chouinard, William Clay, Chloe Clifford, Brett Collins, Meredith Cornforth, Jacob Cotter, William Counselman III.
Eloise Daniello, Lindley Day, Kyle Deegan, Kasey Devaney, Elizabeth Dever, Jacob DiFronzo, Abby DiGregorio, Aidan Doyle, Margaret Dugan, Caroline Fisher, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Connor Fitzpatrick, Abigail Foran, Anthony Frank, Joseph Freeman, Evan Friedel, John Gaffey, Sophia Garber, Griffin Gibbs, Ryker Gibson, Elizabeth Gill, Gabrielle Gillard, Abigail Golden, Noah Goldthwaite, Zachary Gondelman, Shourya Gupta, Jayden Haggerty, Hayden Hall, Jordana Hersh, Brighid Holland, Thomas Holovacs, Aidan Humphreys.
Matthew Jodoin-Siegel, Caroline Kendall, Anna Kenney, Anna Kester, Benjamin Koper, Demi Kroumpouzos, Caroline Lally, Magdalena Lazowski, Yaochen Li, Declan Loughnane, Lillian Mannion, Margot Maxwell, Annabel May, Claire McCarthy, Devin McConnaughey, Matthew McDevitt, Dylan McDonough, Amelia McLean, Brooke McLoy, Cooper McNally, Madelyn Melone, Anne Middleton, Kevin Mignosa, Isabella Milano, Kelly Morrison, Ryan Mullen, Brooke Mulroney.
Samuel Okunlola, Jackson Palladino, Gavin Pevarnek, Anh Pham, Julia Pickel, Gianna Quatromoni, Lauren Reffue, Teagan Rich, Jeremy Ridlon, Will Rooney, Jonah Rothman, Ashley Roycroft, Jordan Ruddick, Jake Sannella, Bowman Schneider, Nolan Simmons, Arjun Sohur, Charles Solari, Jackson Stuzynski, Margaret Sullivan, Rosbald Tejeda, Gavin Toland, Jonah Torres, George Ubertalli, Conor Walsh, Kevin Want, Lindsay Warwick, Shane Weber, George Whitmore, Emily Williams, Lindsey Wilmot, Theodore Wilson, JunLin Wu, Natalie Zibinskas.
More graduation coverage: Celebrate the 2022 graduation season on the South Shore with The Patriot Ledger's coverage
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Reach Hongyu Liu at HLiu@patriotledger.com.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Thayer Academy in Braintree hands out 119 diplomas
