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Graduation 2020
Graduation 2020, an Historic Ceremony
The 123rd Commencement of The Ursuline School on June 26, 2020 included many of the traditional graduation elements – Pomp & Circumstance, speeches, proclaiming each senior’s name, awards. It also will be forever notable in that it took place outside on Kelly Mac Field with graduates seated six feet apart, wearing masks, and families in their parked cars watching giant screens or the livestream on their phones.
The ceremony on this sunny day began with Principal Rosemary M. Beirne’s welcome and introduction of the trustees in attendance. Msgr. Keane offered the invocation and the Senior members of our Honors Choir led the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.
Salutatorians Jeannine Lynch and Domenica Voli were followed by Valedictorian Stella Banino. Each speaker commended the class for their resilience and courage to take action.
Mrs. Beirne then called each graduate’s name as the Senior walked across the stage to receive a diploma cover from President Eileen Davidson. The actual diplomas were handed out at the end of the ceremony, in a drive-through nocontact fashion, with faculty applauding along the driveway.
The members of the Class of 2020 earned more than $29 million in college scholarships. They worked hard and strategically, with perseverance.
At graduation, Assistant Principals Denise Moore and Liz Lynch announced a number of Awards and Honors.
Global Scholars
Violette Cadet, Sofia Damiano, Mairead Donnelly, Gabryel Grey, Isabella Joyce, Samantha Mitze, Sara Taylor, Leah Varghese, Maya Zamor
Serviam Awards for service to the school in the spirit of St. Angela:
Briana Al-Omoush, Violette Cadet, Mary Fleming, Aaliyah Gibson, Kyla Golding, Isabella Joyce, Kerry Leccese, Mimosa Medeiros, Alison Sheridan, Maria Silvestri, Leah Varghese, Kaitlyn Zigrossi Class of 2020 Awards
President’s Award – Mia Valecce Principal’s Award – Maya Zamor Ursuline Alumnae Key – Maria Silvestri Emily A. Clemente Memorial Award – Leah Varghese Sheila Kelly Memorial Award – Lorelei Wolf Sister JB Nicholson, OSU Award – Estella Gaffney Katherine Johnson Memorial Scholarship Award - Kyla Golding Meg Mackay Memorial Scholarship Award - Jeannine Lynch Fathers’ Club Award – Christina Cavallaro Mothers’ Auxiliary Award – Jeanine Lynch
In her address, Mrs. Davidson recalled that, months earlier, the Ring Day theme was outer space and “as we imagined the vast limitlessness of the universe, we could not have known how life would soon be contracted and our individual worlds would become much more narrow indeed. The Class of 2020 - the class I have long referred to as the ‘Class of Vision’ - was blindsided along with the rest of us. Who would have believed that our concept of space would be restricted and re-imagined, leading to a universe defined by our nuclear families and ending at our front doors? From shuttered businesses to silent cities, you have truly experienced a unique event of our lifetime.
It brings to mind that iconic Simon and Garfunkel song, ‘The Sound of Silence’ as well as its indictment of ‘People talking without speaking/People hearing without listening.’ Let the lessons of this quieter, slower time we are emerging from not be forgotten - let us still make time for who and what really matters in our lives.”
Stella Banino, Valedictorian, is attending the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. In her address, Stella proclaimed, “I am proud to be a part of a community that, as a whole, is even stronger and more passionate than the sum of its parts, a community that is already using its voice to improve the world around it. . . . Time and time again, this class has wrestled with difficult issues, and time and time again, our persistence and passion have been rewarded with small, but notable, triumphs.”
Jeannine Lynch, Salutatorian, is attending Wake Forest. In her commencement remarks, Jeannine said, “Our country has not only faced a global pandemic, but sadly an increase in violence and prejudice against black Americans, which has taken the lives of too many, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. We have seen some of our fellow classmates rise up and speak against this injustice. We have learned so much in our years at Ursuline, including how to use our voices effectively. . . . Thanks to Ursuline, The Class of Vision will always have the foresight and confidence to not only believe in the beauty of our dreams, but to make them come true.”
Domenica Voli, Salutatorian, is attending Cornell University. In her address, Domenica stated, “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, ‘So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.’ . . . Ursuline has given us the tools to not only learn better but to overcome these impediments. In the classroom, our teachers taught us that it’s okay to make mistakes and that there’s no shame in failing as long as we get back up and try again. This growth mindset message applies outside the classroom as well; in life, we might fail. Plans might be deferred and the winds might change direction, but we can adapt to these circumstances and keep marching on.”
Class of 2020 Matriculation
Adelphi University Bentley University Boston College Boston University 4 Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University 2 Case Western Reserve University Champlain College Clemson University Colgate University College of Charleston College of Mount Saint Vincent 2 College of the Holy Cross Cornell University 4 CUNY Hunter College CUNY Macaulay Honors College 2 CUNY Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education Duke University Elon University 3 Fairfield University 3 Fairleigh Dickinson University Felician University Florida State University Fordham University 5 Franklin & Marshall College Georgetown University 2 Georgia State University Harvard College 2 High Point University 2 Hofstra University Indiana University Iona College 4 Ithaca College James Madison University 3 Johnson & Wales University Lafayette College Le Moyne College Lehigh University Loyola University Maryland 4 Manhattan College 4 Marist College 3 Marquette University Marymount Manhattan College Miami University 2 Middlebury College New York University 2 Northeastern University Northwestern University Nyack College Pace University Pennsylvania State University 2 Providence College Quinnipiac University 4 Rochester Institute of Technology Sacred Heart University 5 Saint Anselm College Siena College St. John’s University Stevens Institute of Technology SUNY Binghamton University 2 SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology Syracuse University 4 The University of Alabama 2 The University of Edinburgh - Scotland The University of Scranton The University of Tampa 3 The University of Tennessee Trinity College Dublin - Ireland University of Connecticut University of Delaware 6 University of Georgia University of Maryland University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Miami University of New Haven University of Notre Dame University of Richmond University of South Carolina 3 University of Southern California University of Virginia 3 University of Washington University of Wisconsin-Madison Villanova University 4 Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University Wake Forest University 2 Xavier University
