Student speaker Averie Wu opened the Lenape High School commencement on June 17 with a speech encouraging the
Class of 2024 to embrace the challenges they’ve faced in high school, while Principal Tony Cattani (right) evoked the graduates’ next chapters in life.
Lenape High School held its 64th annual commencement on June 17 at Driscoll stadium, a ceremony that invoked student pride and even the words of a cultural icon.
Class of 2024 speaker Averie Wu welcomed friends and families to the celebration and reminded her peers not to forget the challenges they faced to finally wear a cap and gown.
“I’m proud of you for making it to the end of the school year,” she remarked. “I remember thinking, ‘Did you think I wouldn’t?’ But standing here today, I finally get it. It’s not about the surprise that you’re here, it’s about the genuine pride that fills your chest when thinking about all of the challenges you had to overcome to make it to this moment.
“I am truly proud of each and every one of us, and I’m grateful to have been a part of this amazing class.”
Lenape Principal Tony Cattani then addressed the Class of 2024 with a quote from singer Taylor Swift.
“Class of 2024, as you step into the next chapter of your lives, remember the words of Taylor Swift: ‘Hold on to the memories,’ because they will hold on to you,” he advised. “Your time here has been tapestry of moments challenges and triumphs that will forever be part of who you are.
“Today,” Cattani added, “we gather to celebrate a journey that began four years ago when you walked through the doors as a wide-eyed freshman and now culminates with your high-school graduation right here in our stadium.”
The principal also noted that 92% of the Class of 2024 will attend 91 colleges and universities across the country. Other graduates will choose to enter the workforce immediately, while 3% will head to trade schools, he added.
Student speaker Grace Lipinski provided closing remarks for the ceremony that reflected on the graduates’ high-school experience and emphasized that they now have an opportunity to work.
“It’s quite surreal being here right now,” she acknowledged. “We went from being little kids dreaming of high school – hoping it would be something out of Disney Channel show – to becoming actual teenagers and instead craving freedom and independence. And now we’re here.
“Although most of you are probably celebrating your new freedom,” Lipinski added, “let us take a moment to reflect on how fortunate we’ve been and just how far we’ve come.”
She also touched on the graduates’ next stage in life.
“Every day, we have gone to a place where the purpose is to expand our knowledge, see things differently and become better humans,” she told her peers. “At school, we could learn almost anything we wanted to. The best part is, as we enter this next stage, whatever it may be, the learning doesn’t stop.
“I’ve had a mantra that fueled me whenever anything felt like a chore,” Lipinski concluded. “‘I don’t have to work, I get to work.’ You don’t just have the chance for success, but you have the chance to work for it in the first place.
“So take it. Roll up your sleeves and dig in to life, discover passion, discover knowledge, discover growth, and discover gratitude, because after all, How lucky are we?”
