It’s a beautiful, sunny day as Red Raiders get their diplomas
OCEAN CITY — More than 300 students gathered on the field at Carey Stadium and hundreds of parents, family members and friends gathered around its perimeter as Ocean City High School held its commencement for the Class of 2022 on Thursday.
It was comfortably overcast and breezy as the soon-to-be-graduates marched into the stadium, wearing their red and white gowns and decorated mortarboards.
Acting Principal Wendy O’Neal said that subtle feeling of melancholy beneath the excitement is a sign that high school had meaning.
“You grew and you are ready to move on,” O’Neal said from the podium after the students had taken their seats.
“The Class of 2022 rose to meet many challenges through the global pandemic. They had success inside the classroom but also outside the classroom in sports and arts. They showed the perseverance and resiliency to forge new paths to find success,” O’Neal told the audience. “They will take their achievements with them into careers, military service or higher education.”
Jakob Pender delivered the welcome address, pointing out how much changed over their four years in high school.
“In 2018, when we began our freshman year, the world seemed simpler. A worldwide pandemic was merely an overused plot device in low-budget sci-fi movies. By March 2020 of our sophomore year, truth became stranger than fiction when a two-week state of emergency was issued due to COVID-19. That state of emergency was extended through our entire junior year and ended in March 2022 of our senior year, three months before graduation. What a long, strange trip it has been,” Pender said.
He said the school was a refuge during the past two years — “providing stability and structure in a rapidly changing and uncertain world.”
“We gathered every day, sometimes virtually, and our teachers provided the necessary framework for us to learn and grow. To the extent possible, our extracurricular routines were preserved: Sports continued, clubs resumed, proms proceeded and the band played on,” he said. “We played the hand that was dealt to us; we did not fold or concede or walk away. We stayed, we worked hard, we did not surrender.”
He said the pandemic taught the students perseverance and flexibility.
“With the support of our families, teachers, counselors, coaches, advisers and administration, we stayed on course and came out stronger on the other side,” he said. “As we leave the security of Ocean City High School for the wider world, we do so with the knowledge that nothing is certain and that how you deal with adversity is a true test of character.”
Daniel Givens delivered the farewell address, saying the student body is joined in common experiences but each an individual.
“Under each graduation cap is an individual with their own aspirations, interests, beliefs, their own character. When each of us embrace our own individuality and the individuality of our peers, we prosper collectively,” he said. “For four years, we have developed alongside each other. We have learned scientific and mathematical formulae, read countless pages and educated ourselves of the history of the grounds we walk on. Most importantly though, through our friendships, classes, teams and clubs, we have learned what it means to be an individual, as well as a member of a society. Let us never stop learning about ourselves and the world we have inherited.”
Givens said it is important to follow individual goals with an eye toward the common good.
“Regardless of our route, we must continue exploring ourselves and appreciating all those we will encounter in our lives. Our futures are uncertain but they are flexible. We can control who we are and how we apply ourselves. Let us bend our futures to our conceptions and aid our peers in doing the same for theirs,” he said. “Because when we apply ourselves, our futures are bright.”
Givens advised against losing sight of what’s valuable when pursuing goals.
“While ambition is admirable, take some time to broaden your vision. Realize the simple pleasures in life. For a moment, reflect on the last four years on what has made each of us laugh and smile, what has brought us happiness. Perhaps it was a joke, the smile of a classmate, a relaxed day in class, maybe it was just a tiny achievement. Think about the people each of us will rush over to once our caps are thrown into the air. Think of all the time we have spent with them, the memories regardless of scale that have forged our relationships. These are all smaller moments that compose a larger story.”
Caught in the spotlight before the ceremony, Ocean City High School Drama Guild President Natalie Argento said she is excited to head off to college.
“The pandemic definitely threw us all for a loop but we pushed through it and I think that’s what makes the Class of 2022 great,” she said.
Brandon Bobb, Nick Bianchi and Ben Bertett were pretty well prepared in their red caps and gowns.
“I’m excited to move onto college and see what that’s all about and just to extend my education,” Bobb said.
Friends since first grade, National Honor Society President Cristina Barbella and Beau Baker were together as usual in the lineup.
“This is Beau Baker, he’s pretty important,” said Barbella, who accepted a spot at Brown University in Rhode Island.
Baker, who is heading off to Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla., after summer, said it was just the sunglasses that made him look cool.
First in line to receive her diploma was Alexis Kohler, who said it was “nerve-wracking, pretty scary having to lead my whole class.”
Kohler plans to attend college in South Carolina, where she will study cosmetology.
Aidan Murray and Conor Musket were excited to get things going.
Murray said he is going to Rowan University, where he will study forensic science for two years before heading off to finish at West Virginia University.
Musket said he plans to major in real estate at Monmouth University in nearby Long Branch, Ocean County.
“It’s right close to home, which is what I like,” Musket said. “It will be a really fun experience.”
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
