Lenape High School graduated 450 seniors at their annual commencement ceremony held at 6 p.m. on June 18 at Driscoll Stadium.
“Graduates, this moment did not happen by chance, it’s the result of a lot of hard work, perseverance, growth, and the support of people with us in the stadium here tonight,” Lenape High School Principal Tony Cattani said at the ceremony. “You have earned this moment and you should be proud of what you accomplished.
With this graduating class, we have 91% of our students enrolled in a two year or four year institution next year,” he noted. “5% of our students are enrolled in a trade or technical school to develop valuable skills and careers. Some of our students are entering the workforce immediately ready to make an impact and others are pursuing entrepreneurial dreams and creating opportunities of their own. Tonight, we also recognized those who have chosen to serve our country through military service.”
Lenape High School’s Combined Chorus, which brings together student vocalists from ensembles like the Chorale, Girls Ensemble, and Concert Choir, then performed “No One Is Alone” from the 1986 musical “Into the Woods” at the commencement ceremony with direction from Music Teacher and Choir Director Brendan Moore.
Sana Gogia, a graduating senior, also spoke at the ceremony about the pressures students overcame in their four years at the school, and emphasized that the class’ energy and support of each other made each school event special.
“For a long time, it felt like high school was just something that was happening to us (because of) deadlines, tests, college applications” Gogia said. “We came in as 14-year-old kids to a place that felt unknown, and a little intimidating. Expectations were already set, and the future rushed toward us whether we were ready for it or not. As the years went on, the pressure grew until every conversation began with ‘So what are your plans after high school?'”
“At time it felt like we were just trying to keep us,” Gogia explained. “But somewhere along the way, something changed. We realized that high school wasn’t just pushing us forward— it was moving because of us, the students. Think about Friday night football games and the packed stands, that energy didn’t just exist, we created it. School dances, our 11 p.m. hall decorating that somehow always collapsed by 7 a.m. no matter how much tape we used.
“These moments didn’t just happen, we built them,” she added. “High School became a place where we each felt something that made us feel alive. The proof is in the smiles in every single picture hanging in the halls. No matter what the future holds, we all learned something vital within these four walls— we know how to find what moves us, and that lesson doesn’t end tonight.”
