WHAT’S INSIDE
All 1,185 students from Preschool — 12th Grade gathered together to mark our school’s 125th milestone anniversary of “Educating For A Lifetime.”
4 SHP Graduation
22 Eighth Grade Commencement
28 Preschool Moving Up Ceremony
On the cover Educators congratulate SHP graduate Charles Lafaele Tangitau, recipient of a Blue Ribbon for embodiment of “Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom,” one of the Sacred Heart Goals.
SHP GRADUATION
GRADUATION
Celebrating the 2024 Commencements at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton | Video
SHP CELEBRATES COMMENCEMENT
IN ITS 125TH YEAR
Graduates are headed to colleges across the country and internationally
Sacred Heart Preparatory (SHP) graduated 149 students at its commencement ceremony on Friday, May 24, on the Gator Nation football field—a momentous occasion taking place in the same year the school is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Graduates from the Class of 2024 will attend at least 72 different institutions: at least 55 students will study in California, 90 will study out of state, and two will study out of the country.
Twenty-nine students earned recognition by the National Merit Scholarship program (six were finalists and 23 were commended), while an equal 29 students have committed to play intercollegiate athletics across 11 different sports. For 18 consecutive years, SHP’s athletics program has sent at least 10 percent of each year’s graduating class to play athletics at the intercollegiate level.
Thirty-two members of the graduating class have been on the preschool – grade 12 Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (SHS) campus for 12 or more years.
St. Madeleine Sophie Barat had a dream for the world. She believed her schools and her approach to education could do two things—help young people understand how deeply they are loved by God and inspire them to use their lives to rebuild a fractured world.
—SHS DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS RICHARD A. DIOLI
At the ceremony, diplomas were presented by Marnie Marcin, chair of the Board of Trustees; Richard Dioli, director of schools; Jorge Reyes, assistant principal, curriculum and academics; and Jason Armstrong, assistant principal for athletics. Dioli gave remarks along with SHP Principal Dr. Jennie Whitcomb, valedictorian Thalia Stavropoulos, salutatorian JP Kerrigan, and faculty speaker Julie Tsutsui, SHP math teacher.
Preceding the commencement, a traditional Honors Convocation and Graduation Mass, presided over by Fr. John Whitney, SJ and Fr. Donal Godfrey, SJ, took place on the Gator Nation football field on Thursday, May 23. Following a century-old school tradition, “Blue Ribbons” were awarded to select students, nominated by the faculty and ratified by the administration. Blue Ribbons are the highest honor given by SHS to graduating seniors and reflect outstanding achievement in academics and standards of character in the fulfillment of one or more of the school’s guiding Goals & Criteria.
2024
SHP Valedictorian Thalia Stavropoulos gives her commencement speech
Blue Ribbon recipients, announced at Honors Convocation
Graduates receiving a Light Blue Ribbon, for embodiment of a particular Goal and its criteria, were awarded to:
Graham Kaestner and Evelini Mila for Goal I: A personal and active faith in God;
Samir Ravi and Thalia Stavropoulos for Goal II: A deep respect for intellectual values; Redmond Averbuck and Yana Gulati for Goal III: A social awareness which impels to action; Tyler Hogan, Megan Sweeney, and Makena Tom for Goal IV: The building of community as a Christian value; Avery “AJ” Noto, Ravuama Savali, and Charles Lafaele Tangitau for Goal V: Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.
Graduates Donna Garcia Ramirez and Carl Crum each received a Dark Blue Ribbon, for embodiment of the values implicit in a Sacred Heart education.
With college choices ranging from public and private institutions large and small, the Class of 2024 shows a breadth of interests in its future academic goals. Students plan to pursue programs as wide ranging as STEM, visual and performing arts, humanities, social sciences, business, and more.
In closing, valedictorian Thalia Stavropoulos gave the following advice to the Class of 2024: Be open and be yourself, because sharing our distinctive gifts is what has made our SHP community so special, and it is what will make our next communities so remarkable, too.
CONGRATULATIONS
2024 CLASS OF
Be open and be yourself, because sharing our distinctive gifts is what has made our SHP community so special, and it is what will make our next communities so remarkable too.
I’m so excited to see how this amazing Class of 2024 will continue sharing their brilliance with the world.
—VALEDICTORIAN THALIA STAVROPOULOS
How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. If it weren’t for Kairos, the Spirit Weeks, the SSA’s, and the senior patio spikeball games, it would be easy to leave. But those things mean so much to us because we did them here, together.
—SALUTATORIAN JP KERRIGAN
Visit Vidigami for graduation photo albums (log-in required):
SHP Graduation Ceremony
Senior Honors Convocation & Graduation Mass
SHP Graduation Portraits
SHP Class of 2024 Photo
Visit SmugMug for alumni photo albums (no log-in required):
Alumni Pinning Ceremony SHP 2024
The English mystic William Blake said, ‘we are put on this Earth a little space, that we may learn to bear the beams of love.’ As you leave… remember the message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is the mission of the Sacred Heart schools: all that ultimately matters is that you continue to live—what I hope you learned here—to bear the beams of love.
—FR. DONAL GODFREY, SJ
BLUE RIBBONS, 18 YEARS APART
Carrie Wilkins (SHP ’06) and her stepson Red Averbuck (SHP ’24), received the same Goal III Blue Ribbon, 18 years apart! Check out their reflections on the most memorable Goal III activities they participated in during their respective high school careers.
Goal III was always my favorite goal! My parents raised me in the same tradition of Catholic Social Teaching that was the cornerstone of their own upbringing, as Black students of religious activists in the segregated South. Their unofficial mantra was always “pay it forward” and my incredible SHP educators gave me every opportunity to do so by encouraging me to take on service and leadership during my formative high school years. As a result, I participated in numerous service immersion trips geared toward access: from tutoring on a reservation in Taos, New Mexico and during summers at Peninsula Bridge, to leading relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. By far, my most meaningful commitments were my leadership roles as a founding member of the Women’s Group and co-leader of the Multicultural Club (precursor to affinity spaces), creating both an important platform and spaces of belonging for young women and students of color within our school community.
— Carrie Wilkins (SHP ’06)
Carrie Wilkins, back row, second from left
Being a part of SHP’s Black Student Union (BSU) helped me find a strong, supportive community and grow into a confident and welcoming presence for others like me. As a co-leader of the BSU, I was able to create a space of belonging on campus and eventually broaden its reach in my senior year. In the spirit of community and access, I established my school’s first-ever “BSU’s Around the Bay: Black College Night,” that brought together admission officers from highly selective universities with black high school students and families from over 10 local high schools to discuss the complexities of the college application process. For the first time in my life, it felt like I had the power to bring about institutional change, and by partnering with my underclassmen co-leaders and SHP staff, I hope that College Night will continue for years to come.
— Red Averbuck (SHP ’24)
Red Averbuck, back row, left
SHP Collegiate Athletes
The SHP boys’ basketball team captured its third West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) title in four seasons and will send two-time first team all-league player JP Kerrigan to play for Macalestar College, and two-time all-league player and FWBAL boys’ basketball player of the year TJ O’Brien to Chapman University.
The SHP football team’s third place league finish clinched an automatic berth into the CCS football playoffs and an appearance in the Division II Quarterfinals. The team will send two boys to play in college—single-season sack record holder Teo Casares to Brown University and starting quarterback Jack Scully to Macalester College.
In boys’ golf, the team’s nine wins overall and eight league wins were both the highest in program history. Luca Suarez, a two-time first team all-league golfer, has committed to St. Andrews College.
A model of consistency, the SHP boys’ lacrosse team went 6-1 in the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) for the seventh consecutive season, finishing the season ranked in the state’s top 10. The team will send five boys to play in college: 2023 WCAL most valuable player Ian Dykes will head to Duke University; three-time WCAL first team all-league honoree Blake Hetherington will play for Harvard University; three-time all-WCAL honoree Graham Kaestner will head to Johns Hopkins; two-time WCAL first team honoree Anthony Noto has committed to Brown University; and three-time all-league honoree Alexander Shen will head to MIT.
TJ O’Brien
Tessa Espinosa
Andrew Spencer
Megan Sweeney, at right
The SHP girls’ lacrosse team made history, claiming the program’s first WBAL league championship since 2021. The team will send 2024 WBAL all-league honoree Tessa Espinosa to play for Denison University.
Over the last two seasons, the SHP boys’ soccer team claimed an undefeated regular season, a WBAL championship, and a CCS championship, and will send two-time first team all-WBAL selection Colin Johnson to play for Cornell University.
The SHP girls’ soccer team completed one of its finest seasons, finishing the year 15-4-1 overall and claiming its first league championship since 2017. The team will send three-time WBAL all-league honoree Megan Sweeney to Rice University, and four-time WBAL all-league honoree Molly Tinsley to Loyola Marymount University.
The SHP swim team has claimed 14 straight WBAL championships and will send all-American Cole Ballard to the University of Southern California.
Boys’ track and field were named a CCS Scholastic team for the second year in a row, and the team’s cumulative GPA of 3.75 was the second highest of SHP’s 22 sports programs, led by Aneel Bulchandani, recipient of this year’s track and field team Gator award, who has committed to Pomona College.
SHP girls’ volleyball team earned berths into the CCS open division tournament and NorCal open division tournament for the second consecutive year and will send an impressive five studentathletes to play at the collegiate level: threeyear player Sophie Castaillac to Sarah Lawrence College; three-year letterwinner Jillian Amaro to MIT; three-time all-league recipient and 2023 WBAL most valuable player Isabelle Marco to the University of Utah; three-time all-league honoree Mia Radeff to the University of Notre Dame; and two-time all-league honoree Naomi Watson to Boston College.
The nation’s third-ranked SHP boys’ water polo team will send three student-athletes to play in college: team captain and recipient of the prestigious Steve Stearns CCS sportsmanship award Carl Crum to CalTech; Cal-Hi sports boys’ co-scholar athlete of the year and CCS boys’ water polo player of the year Tyler Hogan to Harvard University; and twotime all-WCAL player and Cal-Hi sports boys’ co-scholar athlete of the year Andrew Spencer to UCLA.
The SHP girls’ water polo team finished the season as MaxPreps’ second-ranked team in the nation, with two-time first team all-league honoree Margaret Brandin committed to Princeton University, three-year letterwinner Jacqueline Hickingbotham headed to Pitzer College, and two-time all-WCAL player Charlotte Summe to play for Villanova University.
This year’s class also has two rowers Benjamin Morganroth, who currently holds the Norcal Club lightweight record in the 6k and 2k, will head to Yale University, and team captain coxswain Isabella Tapper committed to the University of Pennsylvania.
“Each of these student-athletes will carry with them the lessons and experiences of their time here at Sacred Heart Prep,” said SHP Assistant Principal for Athletics Jason Armstrong. “We look forward to following your journeys and celebrating your achievements in the years to come.”
KINDER ESPACIO
A longstanding tradition at SHS, at the end of the school year our kindergarteners walk across campus to the high school to sing to the graduating seniors. Known as the “Kindergarten Espacio,” this special performance lets some of our youngest students honor our eldest students and serves as a touching reminder for our graduating seniors on how far they’ve come since they were kindergarteners.
WHERE DO GATORS GO?
*Based on the latest data provided to SHP.
The hearts show the number of students headed to each state.
Graduates
from the SHP Class of 2024 are headed to a wide range of colleges and universities across the United States and abroad.
American University Washington, DC
Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
Boston University Boston, MA
Brown University Providence, RI
Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA
California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo) San Luis Obispo, CA
California State Polytechnic University (Pomona) Pomona, CA
California State University (East Bay) Hayward, CA
California State University (Sacramento) Sacramento, CA
California State University (San Marcos) San Marcos, CA
Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
Chapman University Orange, CA
Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO
Columbia University New York, NY
Cornell University Ithaca, NY
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH
Denison University Granville, OH
Duke University Durham, NC
Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
Emory University Atlanta, GA
Georgetown University Washington, DC
Harvard University Cambridge, MA
Haverford College Haverford, PA
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA
Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
Macalester College Saint Paul, MN
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
New York University New York, NY
Northeastern University Boston, MA
Northwestern University Evanston, IL
Parsons School of Design at The New School New York City, NY
Pitzer College Claremont, CA
Pomona College Claremont, CA
Princeton University Princeton, NJ
Purdue University (Main Campus)
West Lafayette, IN
Rice University Houston, TX
San Jose State University San Jose, CA
Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, NY
Scripps College Claremont, CA
Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
Stanford University Stanford, CA
Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
Tufts University Medford, MA
Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
University of California (Berkeley) Berkeley, CA
University of California (Irvine) Irvine, CA
University of California (Los Angeles) Los Angeles, CA
University of California (Santa Barbara) Santa Barbara, CA
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
University of Oxford Oxford, England
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
University of San Diego San Diego, CA
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
University of St Andrews St Andrews, Scotland
University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
University of Virginia (Main Campus) Charlottesville, VA
University of Washington (Seattle Campus) Seattle, WA
University of Wisconsin (Madison) Madison, WI
Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
Villanova University Villanova, PA
Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
Yale University New Haven, CT
EIGHTH GRADE COMMENCEMENT
2024 8th Grade Commencement Ceremony Video
EIGHTH GRADE COMMENCEMENT
SHS graduated 74 students in its 118th eighth grade commencement ceremony on Friday, May 31, on the Preschool – Grade 8 campus. A beautiful stage was set, with tenting providing shade for families to enjoy the ceremony on the sunny lawn of Michael Murphy Memorial Grove. It was a formal ceremony including the traditional reading aloud of each graduates’ name, with diplomas presented by Director of Schools Richard A. Dioli, Preschool – Grade 8 Principal Francesca Brake, and P-8 Assistant Principal, Academics Kyle Kalmbach. The ceremony included an invocation by Lower & Middle Schools PE teacher Prys Hughes, remarks by both the director of schools and principal, student speaker Gabrielle Eisenberg, and a blessing of graduates by Sister Kathleen Dolan (RSCJ). Closing out the ceremony was a musical reflection by the Vocé choir, which performed “Homeward Bound,” by Marta Keen, conducted by Middle School Choral Director Dr. Christian Emigh. New this year was the introduction of the Goals Awards, for students who exemplified the five Goals of Sacred Heart Schools:
Anna Perone for Goal I: A personal and active faith in God;
Emma Sun for Goal II: A deep respect for intellectual values;
Athena Ogawa for Goal III: A social awareness which impels to action; Kyle Reed for Goal IV: The building of community as a Christian value; Benjamin Yick for Goal V: Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.
This was also the inaugural year for the Goals Awards to be bestowed upon the other middle school grades—sixth grade and seventh grade. Those awards were announced at Prize Day, a traditional celebration stemming back to the earliest beginnings of Sacred Heart Network schools, where students’ exemplary achievements in academics, service, and/or character are recognized.
In the evening preceding the commencement, eighth graders and their families, along with educators, came together for a special Commencement Mass, presided over by Fr. John Whitney, SJ. The Mass featured readings and reflections by many graduates, as well as student cantors. Closing out the Mass was a special vocal performance by eighth graders and their first grade “buddies” of “This Little Light of Mine.” The “buddies” program is a longstanding tradition of each first grader being paired with an eighth-grade buddy for fun, bonding activities that take place throughout the school year.
Altogether, the commencement celebrations were a beautiful tribute to an exemplary graduating class that honored centuries-old Sacred Heart traditions while also marking several deeply meaningful new traditions that served to honor both individuals and the class as a whole.
Visit Vidigami for graduation photo albums (log-in required):
Eighth Grade Commencement Ceremony
Eighth Grade Commencement Mass
2024 8th Grade Commencement Mass Video 2024 8th Grade Class Video
SHADOW SILHOUETTES
This year, eighth grade students revived a graduation tradition originated by beloved former faculty member Michael Murphy, who passed away nine years ago. Each year, Murphy would sit with each graduating student and carefully trace their shadow, creating cut-silhouette portraits one-by-one of the entire class. Initiated by Middle School Religious Studies teacher Chris Kanelopolous, the future SHP Class of 2028 brought back this tradition to adorn the stage in the Ravi Family Assembly Hall during Prize Day and eighth grade Commencement Mass.
Led by eighth grader Cynthia Thacker with assistance from her classmates in Middle School Art teacher Lauren DiCioccio’s Advanced Studio Art Elective—especially eighth grader Fiona Wang, who hand-calligraphed each student’s name on their portrait—this project created a poignant backdrop for end-of-year celebrations. The resulting exhibition of the portraits served to connect a special tradition of the school’s past with the bright future that lays ahead for our graduates.
PRESCHOOL MOVING UP CEREMONY
The Montessori “Moving Up” Ceremony serves to signify the “crossing over” into a new stage of development for our littlest students on campus. The Montessori Preschool teachers honor the work students did this year by asking them each to reflect and recall their most heartfelt moments from the school year. As each student crosses the bridge, they pause as their favorite memory is read aloud, allowing time to truly shine in front of an auditorium full of families, loved ones, educators, and administrators. Next, teachers hand each child a “certificate of promotion”—a frame-worthy memento to cherish for years to come. Both preschool first-year and second-year students participate in crossing the bridge—the latter cross the bridge into their kindergarten year while first-year students cross over to signify becoming leaders in the classroom next fall. Each child receives a compilation of memories in a precious, photo-filled booklet to take home.
MOVING UP
Montessori Preschool teacher Sorcha Buret with student Finn Kaser-Carne following the “Moving Up” ceremony—our youngest students on campus are filled with big dreams and are on their way to great things!
Led by Music & Movement teacher Matthieu Roques along with Montessori Preschool educators, the students performed the song “Each of Us Is a Flower,” by Charlotte Diamond; a poem with movement called “A Little Seed,” by Mabel Watts; and lastly, a song with dance and mime called “I Can Do It,” by David Kisor.
Montessori Preschool student Maxine Nguyen crossed the bridge during the “Moving Up” ceremony, as teacher Megan Venturi read aloud her favorite memory from the school year: combing the dolls’ hair.
Visit Vidigami for graduation photo albums (log-in required):
Montessori Preschool Moving Up Ceremony
THANK YOU!
Special thanks to our community for making this graduation issue possible!
SHS COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
WRITING AND EDITING
ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
VIDEOGRAPHY
PARENTS, GUARDIANS, STUDENTS, AND EDUCATORS
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTED ON VIDIGAMI
ABEL SANCHEZ/GOLDEN IMAGES
PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
SKYNNET PRO LLC
PROFESSIONAL STREAMING
FIND OUR DIGITAL ISSUE
WWW.SHSCHOOLS.ORG/PUBLICATIONS
FIND OUR 2024 GRADUATION WEBSITE
WWW.SHSCHOOLS.ORG/2024GRADUATION
2024
WE ENCOURAGE ALL COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, AND QUESTIONS; EMAIL SHSMAGAZINE@SHSCHOOLS.ORG. PLEASE NOTE, SUBMISSIONS MAY APPEAR IN A FUTURE ISSUE AND MAY BE SHORTENED FOR LENGTH OR CLARITY.
TO ALL OUR NEW GRADS, WE WISH YOU HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS AND CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT’S NEXT ON YOUR JOURNEY! ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE A HOME HERE ON CAMPUS, AND THAT YOU ARE—AND ALWAYS WILL BE—A BELOVED AND BLESSED CHILD OF THE SACRED HEART.
AS A GRADUATE, YOU ARE NOW A MEMBER OF OUR SHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. STAY CONNECTED: VISIT SHSCHOOLS.ORG/ALUMNI AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO OUR ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT MANAGER SHANNON MELINAUSKAS AT ALUMNI@SHSCHOOLS.ORG.
“ ”
Like the concept of exponential growth in math, joy starts small but rapidly increases when shared with others. A single smile or small act of kindness can grow exponentially, spreading happiness far and wide. As you step into the world, find what makes you happy and unabashedly share that joy with others.
—FACULTY SPEAKER JULIE TSUTSUI, SHP MATH TEACHER
California 94027-4402