Thursday, July 3, 2014 Page B1
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GRADUATION 2014
Photo by Marisol Díaz
JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL graduates celebrate at the Smith Auditorium at Manhattan College on June 26.
Laughs, tears, bright prospects and a few regrets fill ceremonies By Maya Rajamani
struggled with. The graduate, who will attend Swarthmore College with plans to study biology and become a doctor, exhorted her classmates to pursue their passions. “I advise you all to fall in love,” she said — with a class, a job, an interest or a place they would someday travel.
mrajamani@riverdalepress.com
RKA students look ahead
A
s senior Jumanah Escalera began to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the start of the David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy’s (RKA, M.S./H.S. 141) June 26 graduation ceremony, her voice broke as she teared up — she could not continue.
T
he word “shalom” can mean both hello and goodbye.
Photo by Marisol Díaz
ANGEL VALDEZ, 10, Anthony Salaman, 11, and the rest of the AmPark Neighborhood School fifth grade graduating class perform on June 19. past school year. On their next journey, Principal Lori O’Mara advised students to live without regret.
“Too often, I hear people say, I’ve really wanted to do that,” she said. “Don’t let yourself be the person that says that.” Valedictorian Ashley Greaves
described overcoming adversity in achieving her academic goals. She said she often stayed up until 4 a.m. to complete work in classes she
It was on the tip of many SAR Academy students’ tongues as they said farewell to middle school and took the stage at the Salanter Akiba Riverdale High School for their graduation ceremony, where many of the students will attend next year. “Rabbi Harcsztark, you are getting a group of really wonderful students,” SAR Academy Principal Binyamin Krauss said to SAR High School’s principal during his welcome speech on June 18. While the evening started out with the typical pomp and circumstance of (Continued on page B8)
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Luckily, her classmates were there to provide backup vocals. Soon, the entire audience had joined in the song. Senior class president Hanady Sayed spoke of RKA’s sense of community in her speech. “We are a family. We may not always get along, but at the end of the day… we appreciate moments like those,” Hanady said while recalling RKA’s movie night, her class’s senior trip and a senior dinner where the chef tossed food into students’ mouths. Many of the graduates will go on to college, with seniors earning more than $2.5 million in scholarships this
SAR students transition to high school