Baccalaureate & Commencement

BACCALAUREATE

On Friday, May 27, the Class of 2022 made its way down the aisle at Orange Park’s Grace Episcopal Church for the Baccalaureate service that would precede their graduation. The venue for Baccalaureate has changed a bit over the years, but the service was just as beautiful as always.

Seniors and their families gathered to pause the craziness of graduation activities, to reflect, acknowledge, and celebrate the accomplishments of their seniors, and to look ahead to the future.

After an invocation by Owene Weber Courtney ’73, Senior Abbie Campbell read the lesson, and Courtney returned to deliver the Baccalaureate Address, encouraging each graduate to seize the wisdom and strength given to them both by God and by their time at St. Johns.

“I pray that each of you will leave St. Johns tomorrow as graduates and go out into the world making a difference wherever you are,” said Weber, “remembering that you are a beloved child of God.”

As Weber read each graduate’s name, she created a beautiful opportunity for togetherness, not just for the senior class, but for their combined families as well.

COMMENCEMENT

The interlude was brief before everyone gathered together again, this time at Thrasher-Horne Center for Commencement. The seniors had already had a rehearsal that morning, but for parents, it is hard to rehearse the emotions of seeing your child walk across that stage, finally. The seniors all looked stunning in their white dresses and dinner tuxedos, and after they processed to Pomp and Circumstance, the ceremony moved quickly to the Presentation of Awards and student speakers. After an introduction by 2022-2023 Student Council President Hunter Hopkins, two speakers, elected by the seniors themselves, took the podium. First, Mary Beth Garrison spoke from the heart, and from the hearts of all the seniors, as she took a collective tone in speaking about the School’s mission and gratitude—gratitude for the many individuals and events that have helped get the seniors where they are today.

“There are so many people and experiences that I am grateful for,” said Garrison, “and I’ll speak for the class as a whole, when I say that we would be completely different people without the St. Johns experience.”

Closing with a raft of thanks for more experiences than she could even name, Garrison ended her speech with a quote from Eckhart Tolle: Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.

Garrison’s talk was a tough act to follow, but the more-than-able Kinley Hall hit it out of the park in comparing the class to a circus—”entertaining, loud, colorful, full of talented people, and a little weird. We’re full of athletes, brainiacs, survivalists, entertainers, and yet we all come together to create one big show.” She went on to list the talents and abilities of her fellow classmates. Working her way from Brad’s bottomless lunch box to Kassie’s marketing skills, from lunchtime ziplines to Mia’s quizlets and flashcards, Hall lauded each individual for their talent and important role in making the circus so successful.

“In all seriousness, ya’ll,” she said, “these past four years have been an insane and crazy mess that have led us to this point. I am so proud of what we have all accomplished and I am excited to see where life takes us. One day in the near and dear future, we are going to step into a new circus and we may even have a different role. But keep working hard and never give up. As Mordecai puts it in Esther 4, ‘And who knows, but that you were made for such a time as this.’”

With that, the diplomas were bestowed and the Class of 2022 was presented.

Congratulations, new St. Johns alumni!

Lifers: St. Johns Students Since Preschool

Back row: Andrew Britts, Luke Pardo, Trevor VanKempen, John Cabrera, JD Lewis, and Dru Detlefsen Front row: Evelyn Hanson, Angie Arellano, Riley Myers, Mary Beth Garrison, Emma Gonzales, Kinley Hall, Noelle Sanford, and Addie Ellis

Members of the Class of 2022

Angela Cristina Arellano

St. Johns Student Since Preschool Member, National Honor Society

Sanaa Anyai-Shantel BassEthan Jodel Beauvais

Julia Oliveira Boaventura

Member, National Honor Society

Andrew Michael Britts

St. Johns Student Since Kindergarten

Kassie Ann Burton

John Francisco Cabrera

St. Johns Student Since Preschool Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society

Abigail Bree Campbell

Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society

Kaiya Lee Cooper

Member, National Honor Society

Lauren Nicole Correia

Member, National Honor Society

Stanley Walker Cowherd IV

Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society

Dru David Detlefsen

St. Johns Student Since Kindergarten

Zion Judah Dugan

Addison Elizabeth Ellis

St. Johns Student Since Kindergarten Member, National Honor Society

Mary Elizabeth Garrison

St. Johns Student Since Kindergarten Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society Heinrich Scholar

Emma Nicole Gonzales

St. Johns Student since Kindergarten

Susannah Parker Goodwin

Member, National Honor Society

Sean Michael Gregson

Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society National Merit Finalist Heinrich Scholar

Kinley Spencer Hall

St. Johns Student Since Preschool Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society

Evelyn Luisa Hanson

St. Johns Student Since Preschool Member, National Honor Society

Adan Quinn Herrera

Member, National Honor Society

Bradley Eugene Hodges

Finn Garrett Howell

Member, National Honor Society

Jude Lawson Howell

Member, National Honor Society

Cooper Lucas Hunt

Josiah Ercell Jones

Hannah Catherine Lemieux

Member, National Honor Society

Jeramy David Lewis

St. Johns Student Since Preschool Member, National Honor Society

Jaidy Alejandra Mejia-Andrade

John Edward Minners

Member, National Honor Society

Kiera Morgan Moisan

Member, National Honor Society

Dalton Tyce Moore

Member, National Honor Society

Jonathan Donald Moore

Member, National Honor Society

Mia Imelda Morin

Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society National Merit Scholar

Robert Brent Morris

Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society National Merit Scholar

Emelia Patrice Morton

Member, National Honor Society

Riley Madison Myers

St. Johns Student Since Kindergarten Member, National Honor Society

Lillian Elliott Ouattara

Member, National Honor Society

Luke Phillip Pardo

St. Johns Students Since Kindergarten Member, National Honor Society

Anh-Khoi PhamClayton Rusty Philpott

Margaret Schley Pizzi

Member, National Honor Society

Owen William Roth

Nathan Lenarde Rowan II

Member, National Honor Society

Noelle Jessica Sanford

St. Johns Student Since Preschool Member, National Honor Society

Ariel Gil Sauer

Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society National Merit Scholar Heinrich Scholar

Justin Michael Shipman

Callum Michael Steiner

Member, National Honor Society Member, Cum Laude Society

Matthew Gregory Stratton

Member, National Honor Society

Jordan Emilio Taylor

Member, National Honor Society

Kamryn Ainsley Towers

Trevor Grayson VanKempen

Serenity Tamya Williams

Graduation Awards

Stephen F. Russey Best All-Around Young Woman: Abigail Bree Campbell

Edwin Paul Heinrich Award: John Francisco Cabrera

Linda C. Guswiler Athletic Award: Evelyn Luisa Hanson

Stephen F. Russey Best All-Around Young Man & Valedictorian Award: Ariel Gil Sauer

Dora Helen Skypek Award: Mia Imelda Morin

Captain Borries Cup: Bradley Eugene Hodges & Jordan Emilio Taylor

The Roddey R. Fisher Award: Mary Elizabeth Garrison

Instrumental Music Award: Ariel Gil Sauer

Art Award: Riley Madison Myers

Drama Award For Theatrical Performance: Zion Judah Dugan

Drama Award For Technical Theatre: Clayton Rusty Philpott

Mary Virginia Fisher French Award: Mary Elizabeth Garrison

Spanish Award: Mia Imelda Morin

Science Award: Sean Michael Gregson

English Award: John Francisco Cabrera and Mary Elizabeth Garrison

Music Vocal Award: Noelle Jessica Sanford

Cynthia C. Landry History Award: Abigail Bree Campbell

Carol A. Hart Math Award: Abigail Bree Campbell

Computer Science Award: Ariel Gil Sauer

Class of 2022 Fast Facts

53 Graduates

$6.5M Received in scholarship offers

14 St. Johns students since preschool

17 Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholars

8 Gold and Silver Key Scholastic Art Award Winners

2 National Silver Medal Winners

4 National Merit Scholars

12 Will play sports at the college level

20 2022 AP Scholars*

* The “AP Scholar” designation is granted to students who received scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

The following colleges and universities accepted members of the Class of 2022:

Appalachian State University

Auburn University

Barry University

Baylor University

Belmont University

Berry College

Brevard College

Chowan University

Clemson University

Coastal Carolina University

College of Coastal Georgia

Colorado School of Mines

Eastern Florida State College

Eckerd College

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Emmanuel College

Flagler College

Florida Atlantic University

Florida Gulf Coast University

Florida Institute of Technology

Florida Polytechnic University

Florida Southern College

Florida State University

Full Sail University

George Washington University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Southern University

Holy Cross College at Notre Dame

Indiana University

Jacksonville University

Keuka College

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University Shreveport

Lynn University

Morehouse College

New College of Florida

Newcastle University

Niagara University

Nova Southeastern University

Penn State University

Purdue University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rhodes College

Rollins College

Salem College

Samford University

Santa Fe College

Savannah College of Art and Design

Sewanee: The University of The South

St. Bonaventure University

St. Petersburg College

Stetson University

Syracuse University

Tallahassee Community College

University of Alabama

University of Alabama in Huntsville

University of Central Florida

University of Edinburgh

University of Florida

University of Kansas

University of Miami

University of North Carolina at Asheville

University of North Florida

University of Oregon

University of South Carolina

University of South Florida

University of Southern Mississippi

University of Tennessee

University of Virginia

University of Waterloo

University of West Florida

Valdosta State University

Virginia Commonwealth University