St. Joe Grads Hear Calls to Faith, Service, ExcellenceBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
08:31PM / Sunday, June 07, 2015 | |
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Left, St. Joseph's valedictorian Paul Bullock and salutatorian Mary Kirsimagi. The high school presented 30 diplomas on Sunday afternoon. See more photos here. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Thirty members of St. Joseph Central High School's Class of 2015 took a leap into adulthood on Sunday afternoon.
Valedictorian Paul Bullock provided the appropriate metaphor.
"Life is like a pogo stick," Bullock said. "When you are pushed down, you must fight against that force with everything you have."
Bullock used the pogo stick as a metaphor to talk about perseverance, a quality that the St. Joe seniors had studied in the novel "The Alchemist" and which he discussed in a correspondence with the CEO of an extreme pogo stick manufacturer called Vurtego.
"He replied back that he had the idea for a design revolution for the common childhood toy, the pogo stick, when he was in high school," Bullock said. "But unfortunately he didn't have any money to turn his idea into reality.
"It was only through hard work that he was able to achieve his dream."
Entrepreneur Ian Britt's experience validates the lessons learned in books like The Alchemist.
"The Alchemist gave us the idea," Bullock said. "Ian Britt showed us it can be done. Now, it is our turn."
Each of the graduates on Sunday took a turn shaking the hand of Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, who made the trip from Springfield to participate in the festivities.
Rozanski reminded the class of 2015 that their friends, family members and teachers filled St. Joseph's Church to congratulate them on what they have accomplished and to look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
"We're also here, too, to promise you our prayers that ... as those seasons continue to change and each of you continue to grow in God, God will grant you that grace to be able to see the beauty of every day, the wonder of his creation and your role in God's history of salvation," Rozanski said.
On the program for Sunday's ceremony, the school highlighted three values of a St. Joe education: to know God, to pursue excellence and to serve others.
While Rozanski's remarks highlighted the first and Bullock talked of the value of resilience in the pursuit of excellence, salutatorian Mary Kirsimagi focused on the value of service.
She reminded the graduates of the 100 hours of community service each had undertaken as a requirement to graduate, and she drew on her own experience this spring volunteering with medical missionaries in South America.
"Yes, we were changing the lives of hundreds of people, but each volunteer returned ... more grateful for the simple things we all take for granted," Kirsimagi said. "This amazing experience ... strengthened my believe in the need for community service at all levels.
"I would like to take this opportunity to challenge each of you to get off the couch, step away from the TV or computer, put down that cell phone and help someone. Make something happen. It truly feels better to give than to receive."
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Graduates |
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Scholarships & Awards |
Photos |
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Paul Francis Bullock ***+
Matthew Michael Cowhey
Charles Frederick Crall
Kara Jean Curtin **+
Taylor Anne Eddy
Brendan Michael Faas
Stephen Allan Feathers
Michaela Tierney Foote
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Yixuan "Catherine" Gao ***+
Kyle Michael Gelinas*
Marquise Devon Hamilton
Junjie "James" Huang *+
Keunuk Jeong
Paige Sheldon Kearns
Jordan Nelson Kinnas
Mary Elizabeth Kirsimagi ***+
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David Richard Lewis
Rexxar Li
Xizi "Vivi" Li *+
Alexandra Nicole Mitchell *
Clarissa Carolyn Mitchell ***+
Kaitlyn Ruth Parrott
Shaun Mitchell Parzick
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Miracle Mason Pimentel
Patrick Edward Rice *+
Nathaniel Lee Stump **
Dung Hoang Ta ***
Matthew James Andrew Tobin
Jiayi "Dorothy" Yang ***+
Ying Yue "Charlotte" Zeng
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*** Highest honors ** High honors * Honors +National Honor Society |
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