Not even rain or thunderstorms could stop Cinnaminson High School’s class of 2025 from celebrating graduation on June 18.
The 59th commencement ceremony at George D. Paternoster Memorial Stadium featured speeches, songs, smiles and cheers from family and friends. Diplomas were handed out by township board of education President Laura Fitzwater, school Superintendent Stephen Cappello and Principal Ryan Gorman, who offered the students a simple message before they left the place they called home for the last four years.
“As you stand on the edge of this new chapter, I encourage you to pursue your passion,” Gorman advised. “The world will offer you countless paths. Some will be practical, others lined with expectations, but I think you will find the most fulfilling road is the one that allows you to wake up excited for the day ahead …
“Be careful,” he added. “Passion isn’t always loud or obvious. Often it’s just a nudge towards something that makes you feel alive, purposeful or uniquely yourself.”
“Pursuing your passion may not always be easy, but if you hold onto that drive and what makes your heart race and your spirits sing,” Gorman emphasized, “you will undoubtedly find strength and clarity even in the hardest of moments.
“Passion fuels resilience.”
Valedictorian Brenden Fratto made a special note in his address: The graduating class is special, he said, not just because of its outstanding accomplishments in academics, sports, arts and beyond, but also because it’s the first class in more than five years to be able to say their high-school experience wasn’t affected by COVID.
Fratto also pointed out something else that has connected him and his peers for all these years: food.
“Just think about it,” he noted. “How many friendships have started from lunch tables, and how many of our best memories from high school had a large component of food? … Just like a good meal, high school was a blend of all kinds of ingredients. Many sweet memories, some bitter ones and everything in between.”
Cappello observed how the commencement would undoubtedly turn from a moment in time to a core memory for the graduates and their loved ones. When he addressed the students as they graduated eighth grade years ago, he told them how Cinnaminson High School had endless possibilities for all of them.
He continued by saying that he has often asked graduates to take time and make sure they thank their parents and guardians. Although the students were asked to keep their phones away during graduation, Cappello asked the opposite, suggesting that graduates snap a selfie and send it to someone in the stands, to say thanks and store the memory.
“I don’t know that there’s anything left that I can say that’s more meaningful or more special than the message that you just crafted for them,” Cappello acknowledged. “To the class of 2025 and your families, my final words to you are also in gratitude.
“Parents, thank you for entrusting your children with us, and students, thank you for the memories.”
Salutatorian Kellyn Coller didn’t join the graduating class until middle school and didn’t consistently attend in-person classes with her peers until high school. She may not have the same memories her peers do having spent more time in Cinnaminson’s school system, Coller noted, but she spoke on something that she does know: the human body.
As a student of science, she’s researched and analyzed the human body and how and why it works. As an athlete, she’s seen both great strengths and major flaws. What Coller learned is that the human body sometimes does things so incredible, it feels like science fiction or perhaps even magic.
“ … Perhaps one of the most incredible functions of your body is its ability to prepare itself for the unknown,” Coller offered. “ … Your body does not know exactly what is coming, how big or bad the threat may be, but it is ready to do absolutely everything in its power to fight for you.”
She then referred to the graduates’ uncertain futures.
“We are being faced with perhaps the biggest unknown we have ever experienced,” she said. “But when your heart starts beating a little faster thinking about the next steps, when your breathing begins to shift, remember that this is your body’s way of telling you, ‘We are ready …
“I have one final request for my peers,” Coller then offered. “If there is a true threat, your body has got you covered. So live freely. Live without fear. When you love, love with all your heart.
“Never doubt that you can make a space big enough for yourself in this world.”
