PEABODY — After the spring of their senior year was dampened by clouds and rain, the Bishop Fenwick High School Class of 2011 graduated last night at Donaldson Stadium in warm sunshine and under clear skies.
"We made it," said Stephanie Haddad, who gave the salutatorian's address as the second-ranked student in the class. "It almost seems surreal."
As they head off to college or other pursuits, the Holy Cross-bound Haddad reminded her classmates to believe in themselves, a lesson she learned on the first day at Fenwick.
She confessed how nervous she was entering high school, something her mother noticed as they drove to school that opening day. She even recalled her mother's words as they stopped at a traffic light: "You can do it."
"I want you always to remember," Haddad said, "that someone out there believes in you."
Sister Catherine Fleming, the Fenwick principal, and Valedictorian Emily LaRochelle appealed to students to do something great — for others.
"We must be a catalyst for change, for good in our world," Fleming said.
Quoting anthropologist Margaret Mead, she said: "Never doubt that a group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world."
LaRochelle, who is headed to Connecticut College, made a similar point.
"We don't have to individually save the entire planet," she said, "but we have to try to do something helpful" and give back.
The Bishop Benedict Joseph Fenwick Award, the school's highest honor, recognized two students who are already living that promise. Rebecca Graves, the student council president, and Jeffrey Santos, the senior class president, were honored for having the "courage and conviction to live the Christian life and exemplify the spirit of Bishop Fenwick High School."
Crusader Commencement
Number of graduates: 154
National Honor Society graduates: 61
Percent going to college: 99
Class gift: $1,500 for landscaping or auditorium renovations
Star performer: Jazz Choir, which sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water," won gold award at Heritage Music Festival in New York's Lincoln Center
Total scholarships/grants won by class: More than $7 million
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