From navigating the deep waters of the COVID-19 pandemic to raising the profile of Saint Monica Preparatory’s breadth of activities, the Mariners class of 2024 was 76 souls committed to bettering themselves and the school community.
The group will now be moving onto the next stage of their lives after a June 7 graduation ceremony, full of excitement for the future and bittersweet emotions when looking at the past four years. Saint Monica Principal James Spellman began the ceremony by stating that the class excelled at "modeling what it means to be a Mariner" and "never shying away from the challenge" of advocating for the greater Mariner ecosystem.
"Your dedication and commitment to Saint Monica [aided] our pursuit to provide the very best Catholic education," Spellman added.
That dedication began before the students arrived on campus, as the then-freshmen dealt with the remote learning atmosphere of the pandemic. Salutatorian Anav Oommen said he didn’t want to dwell on the ordeal because "we all lived through it," but made note that the time took a mental health toll on both students and faculty, giving special thanks to the teachers and staff who made it through COVID to continue Mariner mentorship.
Valedictorian Dylan Smith added that the pandemic "shrouded off" much of the class’ typical freshman bonding, but ended up bringing the students closer when they eventually returned to in-person classes.
"I remember this feeling of newness among everybody, it almost felt like we were restarting our high school journey under some more normal circumstances," Smith said. "I think this is what bonded us as a class the most, we all wanted to make up the loss of our first year together. [The pandemic] may have seemed like a rain cloud hovering over our student environment, but I now see that [the] rain is necessary, just as plants need water to flourish."
Smith drew much inspiration from plants for her speech, namely the Saint Monica trademark wildflower, asking the packed courtyard to imagine themselves as a wildflower and what type they would be. She described several of her classmates as different kinds of wildflowers, adding that each one of her fellow seniors should do the same.
"We are all special standing alone, but it is in the presence of each other that we’ve been able to create a bigger, more beautiful environment. So as we stand on the precipice of our future, I urge you all to embrace the wildflower within you, carry your adaptability, strength and distinct beauty into the rich soil of your new environment. Keep the unconventional journey we’ve undergone together in the back of your mind as a constant reminder that our potential for growth is limitless."
Oommen spoke less in metaphor and more in what the class brought to the whole community, namely successes in endeavors like athletics. He gave special commendations to teams like Mariners football, who were 2023 CIF Southern Section Division 13 champions, as well as shouting out playoff appearances from boys and girls basketball squads. Several seniors will be playing in the college ranks, including football standout Joshua Barnes at the University of Idaho, golf’s Carolina Calzada at King University in Tennessee, and the basketball duo of Shadel Ffrench and Kaya Ghobrial at Glendale College and Loyola-Chicago, respectively.
"Four years ago, we could not rely on sports to further the Mariners brand name, but look at us now," Oommen said.
The 2024 Mariners class was full of academic achievements as well, including 19 seniors who held a career 4.0 GPA, and 11 class members part of the National Honor Society. Major scholarships and awards given to the class include Daniel Seraphine selected as "Mariner of the Year" and Smith earning the Class of 1959 award.
Oommen added that the 2024 class’ diversity was "one of our greatest strengths" and what really brought them closer together, saying that his fellow seniors should accept the diverse paths life will take them on.
"Seize this opportunity, embrace life for all its good, bad and ugly with open arms," Oommen said. "I’m sure there’ll be times where you’ll have to push through the mud, I say to you keep going, pushing mud makes great fields after all. I am so excited to be able to tell people what you all will accomplish."
