Bay Ridge Prep celebrated its Class of 2010 at the school's 12th Annual Commencement, held at the Brooklyn Museum on June 4. Before conferring diplomas to the 41 seniors and playing the traditional slide show devoted to the graduating class, students took the stage and made emotional, heartfelt speeches and presentations which reflected on their time at Bay Ridge Prep.
"Who we are academically does not define us at Bay Ridge Prep -- it enriches and complements who we are as people, and empowers us to better understand and develop our morals and goals.," said Renee Otto, '10, when addressing the audience at Commencement. "A Bay Ridge Prep graduate may not be able to control other’s actions and opinions, but they are in complete control of themselves, and of the people they choose to surround themselves with."
Otto, one of this this year's salutatorians, added, "I love the environment that Bay Ridge Prep has built. It has reached what so many communities try and fail to reach; it is a self-actualized community that, in my eyes, has achieved some level of perfection.…Teacher's jobs don't end at 2:40 p.m. ... they end when these dedicated and determined people help their students succeed. And today we don’t end our job as Bay Ridge Prep students, we simply move on and spread the skills and kindness that Bay Ridge Prep has helped us develop."
Chelsea Alexis, '10, another salutatorian, told her fellow graduates, "you are all unique individuals and as a whole we impact this world...Everyone says follow your dreams, but today I am telling you to accomplish them."
The ceremony also featured performances dedicated to the Class of 2010. Victoria Rodriguez, '10, who opened Commencement with a powerful rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner", also performed an energetic version of Rod Stewart's "Forever Young" while Andrea Bonaparte, '10, gave a moving performance of "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan.
In addition to powerful speeches and songs, guests were treated to a special video presentation produced by David and Michael Chira, '10. The twin brothers took on a leadership role in their elective senior media class and helped interview nearly every senior about their favorite moments at Bay Ridge Prep and their plans for the future. The brothers then edited the digital video to showcase at Commencement. The final outcome, called "The Class of 2010: In Their Own Words", was among the many student-led moments of Commencement that brought the entire audience to its feet for a standing ovation.
Media Gallery: 12th Annual Commencement
Among the honors bestowed at Commencement were:
- Christiana DeLorenzo '10, and Alexandra Singer, '10, were named Valedictorians of the Class of 2010.
- Frances DeRosa, '10, and Rachel Fernandes, '10, were named Salutatorians for Overall Academic Excellence.
- Chelsea Alexis, '10, and Kaitlyn Rezny, '10, were named Salutatorians in the category of the Sciences.
- Douglas Bearak, '10, and Renee Otto, '10, were named Salutatorians in the category of Humanities.
- Graduating with Medals of Academic Distinction were: Jackie Cassidy, '10; Olivia Cimino, '10; Nicole Freed, '10; Glenn Friedberg, '10; Liron Greenberg, 10; Michael Horowitz, '10; Ksana Klementyeva, '10; Benjamin Kaufman, '10; Andrew Michel, '10; and Gabriella Steele, '10.
The Class of 2010 has been offered over $1.5 million dollars in scholarship money in addition to offers of admission to the following colleges and universities.
Adelphi University (6)
Auburn University
Cardiff University
Columbia College Chicago
CUNY - BMCC (2)
CUNY - Brooklyn College (4)
CUNY - College of Staten Island (5)
CUNY - Hunter College (2)
CUNY - John Jay
CUNY - Kingsborough Community College (2)
Curry College
DePauw University
Dowling College
Drew University
Drexel University
East Stroudsburg University (2)
Fairfield University
Fairleigh Dickinson University (8)
Fashion Institute of Technology
Fordham University (2)
Heartwick College
Hofstra University (2)
King's College
Kutztown University
Long Island University - C.W. Post (6)
Lynn University (2)
Manhatanville College
Marist College
Marymount Manhattan College
McMaster University
Monmouth University
Morrisville College
New York Institute of Technology (3)
New York University (3)
Pace University (4)
Parsons School of Design
Polytechnic Institute of New York University (2)
Rider University
Rutgers University (2)
Sacred Heart University
School of Visual Arts
St. Francis College (3)
St. John's University (5)
St. Joseph's College
St. Peters College
SUNY - Albany (4)
SUNY - Buffalo (2)
SUNY - Cobleskill
SUNY - New Paltz (2)
SUNY - Oneonta
SUNY - Potsdam
SUNY - Purchase College
Syracuse University
University of Bristol
University of Delaware
University of Edinburgh
University of Glasgow
University of Hartford (3)
University of Nottingham
University of Scranton
University of Vermont
University of Western Ontario
Western Connecticut State University
Western New England
Wittenberg University
York College
Founded in 1998, Bay Ridge Preparatory School is an independent K-12 college preparatory school offering a strong academic program in a socially mature and positive learning environment.
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