Commencement 2022

While the impact of the pandemic on the Class of 2022 was a backdrop to all commencement addresses, the perspective was future minded, with flashes of humor illuminating the deep bonds between members of the school community.

“After over two years of the pandemic displacing many rites of passage, I am thankful that we are able to bookend our high school years with normality,” said Valedictorian Kaitlyn Varriale.

Salutatorian Victoria Fenton combined a reference to last year’s hybrid schedule with a challenge for her classmates to be change-makers. “As long as nothing that we learned during Zoom schooling is necessary for that task, I think we are up for the challenge.”

Andrew Smith, the senior selected by his classmates to speak at commencement, brought down the house with his reference to Superintendent Andrew Selesnick’s snow day morning phone calls, ending his comments with Selesnick’s signature sign-off, “Be safe and be well.”

“I am not discouraged by the future because I have had a front row seat to it,” said Principal Steven Siciliano. “When you hear people say that the world is divided and polarized, I hope you’ll hear an opportunity to be a listener and a connecter,” said Superintendent Andrew Selesnick, before declaring the Class of 2022 to be graduates of John Jay High School.

How else could he close Commencement but say to all, “Be safe and be well!”

Throughout our KLSD education, it has been instilled upon us to be the best versions of ourselves. Likewise, as the honorable Ruth Bader Ginsberg inspirationally explained, “I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the best of her ability.”

I hope that we can all be remembered this way, that throughout life, each of us uses whatever talents we have to do our work to the best of our abilities. I know that this is an ambitious goal. For being your best doesn’t come without challenges, and frequently doesn’t even include being the best. Instead, it often requires humility, hard work and the courage to overcome adversity. It can be physically, mentally and emotionally draining, but even more so tremendously uplifting and rewarding.

Our journey through high school was one of spirit, flexibility and fortitude. This class always found a way to overcome our obstacles together. No junior prom? That’s alright, we can do it ourselves. We won’t see most of our classmates for the better part of sophomore and junior year? We’ll just have to make senior year twice as memorable. In my opinion, we certainly did.

It is our continued resilience and optimism that brings me such confidence that we will achieve great things beyond high school, not simply for ourselves and our futures but for the greater good of the world. We are at a critical turning point in our lives where our generation will no longer be observing world problems and demanding someone makes a change: we will be the people to make that change.