LINWOOD — The Mainland Regional High School Class of 2024 graduated June 18, leaving a legacy of athletic and academic achievements from the past four years.
Families gathered in the stands, brimming with pride, to celebrate this milestone. More than 300 graduating Mustangs, adorned in traditional green robes, transformed the field into a vibrant display of MRHS spirit.
Before the ceremony, the graduates experienced a whirlwind of emotions as they prepared to leave the high school for the final time. Laughter and reminiscing filled the air as students shared memories from their senior year, balancing excitement with nerves.
Multi-sport star Kasey Bretones was just one of many students caught up in the emotion of it all. She will be attending the University of Massachusetts seeking a degree in kinesiology.
Bretones was a member of the state champion girls basketball team. The football team won a state championship, and both of those teams along with girls volleyball and boys swimming won South Jersey titles in the 2023-24 school year. (And don’t forget baseball in spring 2023.)
“The whole high school experience has been a lot of fun, but it just went by quickly. Still, I couldn’t ask for a better senior year. We were very successful with our athletics,” Bretones said. “I’m a little nervous for college but mainly excited. I can’t wait for what comes next.”
The anticipation was not limited to students, as teachers and faculty members eagerly looked forward to the ceremony and the promising futures of the graduates.
Tom McKeever, a Mainland mathematics teacher, expressed his pride in the Class of 2024 and their remarkable growth over the years.
“I teach a lot of seniors and one of the fun parts of this group has been watching them grow up. They started virtually and they’ve matured a lot. They’re a group of individuals that have had it tough with COVID but they’ve been kind to each other, they’ve adapted and they’ve been so successful,” he said.
“All of that has to do with their growth and how they have matured. They’ve made some great memories here but these kids are special. I can’t wait to see what they do next,” McKeever said.
As the ceremony commenced, students marched onto the field in the Mustang Corral donning their graduation robes and mortarboards, which some had customized with their college logos. The band played on and the senior vocalists sang Mainland’s Alma Mater.
Class member Michael Liang delivered a speech reflecting on the high school experience, all that came with it and advice on finding happiness in the future.
He quoted the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s saying, “No mud, no lotus,” as he expressed the importance of hardships in life.
“Without difficulties, one cannot find happiness. Life gets a lot easier if you can find happiness within the simple moments,” Liang said.
Chief School Administrator Mark Marrone delivered a heartfelt speech, expressing his pride as an administrator and as a parent of a graduating son. Marrone commended the graduates for their resilience and adaptability, particularly in the face of the pandemic.
“I’ve been to a number of graduations, and we can recycle speeches and we can recycle ideas, but in reality today is a different day,” he said. “Because this class had to sit behind screens and masks (during the COVID-19 pandemic), and once they took those masks off they became champions, they became national champions. Everyone of these students has faced adversity and come through the other side.
“What I see is resilience, a response to adversity. I see adults that give me one thing — hope. I see a future full of hope for these graduates. Every one of these students gives me hope,” Marrone said. “If you don’t lead with love in your heart for others, then you don’t lead.
“So tonight, I hope you love, I hope you laugh. I hope every one of you enjoys walking across this field to be handed that diploma, because you guys deserve it.”
Following the speeches, diplomas were distributed as students marched across the field, symbolizing their academic achievements. Afterward, Class of 2024 President Lani Ford led the graduates in turning their tassels to symbolize their new status.
Excitement swept through the stands as enthusiastic graduates tossed their mortarboards into the air as the ceremony came to a close.
The Class of 2024 now steps into the next chapter of their lives, equipped with the resilience, knowledge and hope to forge their own paths.
– STORY by EDDIE D’AMICO/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
