Florida Catholic | Graduating With A Purpose

Graduating with a purpose

500 to graduate from diocesan high schools this month.

LINDA REEVES | FLORIDA CATHOLIC PALM BEACH BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 05.22.08

Graduate Leigh Truzzolino hugs family members at the conclusion of Pope John Paul II High School’s graduation ceremonies. The diocese’s three Catholic high schools graduate nearly 500 seniors this month and now the young adults embark on new phases of life.
JASON COLLINS | FC

The diocese’s three Catholic high schools graduate nearly 500 seniors this month and now the young adults embark on new phases of life.

“We are quite proud of the accomplishments of the Class of 2008,” said John Clarke, principal of Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach. “May the Lord bring to completion that which he has well begun.”

• Cardinal Newman High School graduates 222 students at 7 p.m. May 23 at the Raymond F. Kravis Center of the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.

• Pope John Paul II High School’s ceremony for 161 graduating students took place May 17 on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

• John Carroll High School in Fort Pierce celebrated graduation May 21 at the Sunrise Theatre there for 104 students.

JASON COLLINS | FC
Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito address a crowd during Pope John Paul II graduation ceremonies.

Lu Keenley of the diocesan Office of Superintendent of Schools pointed out that most of the students of Class of 2008 are attending institutes of higher learning, including two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

“John Carroll has 98 percent, Pope John Paul has 99 percent and Cardinal Newman has 99.5 percent,” she said about the percentages of students heading off to schools to complete studies and earn additional diplomas and degrees.

“One student at Cardinal Newman is going into the Navy,” she explained about the school’s nearly perfect percentage score. “He wanted to serve his country. I think that is beautiful.”

The superintendent of schools, Franciscan Sister Joan Dawson, said such statistics are a tribute not only to the graduating students but also to their educators.

“We are very proud of our schools and the work they are doing to encourage and prepare our young people for college,” she told the Florida Catholic. “This shows in the excellent percentage of our students who are preparing for college next year.”

Class of 2008 also has bragging rights as far as receiving millions of dollars in scholarship funding.

“They have earned over $4.5 million in scholarships,” said Clarke about Cardinal Newman graduating students.

John Carroll scholarship figures are not available, but according to Annie Anderson of Pope John Paul’s guidance office, the school’s graduates received funding of more than $2.5 million.

“John Carroll is extremely proud of the 2008 graduates,” said Jennifer Trefelner, director of school development. “These students have the potential to return to this area after college, become the leaders in our area, and make a significant contribution to the community.”

The college- and university-bound graduates from the Catholic high schools are heading to out-of-state schools including University of Notre Dame, Boston College, Colgate University, Cornell University, Dartmouth University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Middlebury College, Penn State University, Vanderbilt University, Wake Forest University and others. Students opting to stay closer to home are attending institutes including University of Central Florida, Florida State University, University of Florida and University of Miami.

Educators are hopeful that many will return to the diocese after college.

During an interview two days before his graduation, Pope John Paul’s Thomas Boyd, a parishioner of St. Mark in Boynton Beach, told the Florida Catholic he has mixed emotions about graduating. He is enrolled at the University of Florida with hopes of earning a degree and pursuing a career as a computer engineer.

“I will miss my friends,” he said. “The classes were small, and I made a lot of friends.”

Return to Diocese of Palm Beach Front Page

Graduating with a purpose

Other Stories