BRICK TOWNSHIP — With their high school career in the rearview, the Brick Memorial High School class of 2023 received a reassuring message along with their diplomas during the school’s commencement ceremony on Tuesday, June 20.
In his welcoming address, Principal Jonathan Barresi encouraged the graduates to reflect on their tumultuous four-year journey, noting that it had included the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then he added, “Most importantly, remember that you will be OK. You are Brick Memorial High School Mustangs and you are a force to be reckoned with.”
The 365 seniors had entered the James V. DiFabio athletic complex to cheers from family members and proud educators. They heard members of the class chorus perform the national anthem as Air Force Junior ROTC cadets served as the color guard.
“Please don’t think of yourself…as a number, a score or a rank. Please value what makes you you,” Brick Schools Superintendent Thomas G. Farrell told them. “Go beyond the result and look deeper about the process…Use your newfound skills and knowledge to be a voice for the voiceless and a hope to the hopeless.”
Stephanie Wohlrab, president of the board of education said, “Graduation represents the culmination of years of hard work, sacrifice and determination. In a divided world, your acts of compassion will make an impact.”
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