Class of 2019 ‘Home of the Bulldogs’ graduates

The only guarantee that can be made is that if you follow your heart—that voice inside you—you cannot be wrong, and you will achieve your dreams.”

Mark Plescia, Sullivan West High School Principal

Sullivan West’s Class of 2019

Jordan Andrews, Victoria Arnold, Sage Aviles, MaelaniBaurenfeind, Samantha Becker, Allison Blasingame, Daniel Bolles, Sebastian Bonanza, Kai Brasseale, Darian Breihof, Caitlin Brockner, Uma Bullock, David Cabassa, Elizabeth Coney, Sebastian Dao, Jared Davis, James DeAveiro III, Brandon Decker, Brett Dirie, Brianna Doherty, Kira Duggan, Kevin Eaton, Nathaniel Edwards, Luke Ellison, Andrew Freer, Michael Fulton, Emily Gaebel, Grace Gaebel, Tallula Gann, Bruce Gettel, Jr., Edwin Glendon, Reilly Gries, Kylie Gulley, William Hardenbergh, GreataHauschild, Calvin Heaney, Sydney Hermann, Emma Hess, Jason Houghtaling, Morgan Huot, Abigail Hyde, Cameron Jackman, Aden Johnson, Joseph Joyce-Turner, Dylan Jungblut-Mercado, Andrew Kenyon, Jr., Michael Kinne, Jenna Kratz, Corinne Laarmann, Kristen Lebron, Jason Lin, Faith Macedonio, Cadence Mannino, Josephine Martinez, Sabrina Martinez, Jordan Maxwell, Eric McBride, Alec Milucky, Faith Murns, Isabel Nearing, Chanlyn O’Sullivan, Marissa Peters, Trevor Peters, Katerina Plescia, Nile Puerschner, Gillian Rapp, Kristopher Rasmussen, Kyle Reimer, Quinn Ritterhouse, David Rivas, Jr., BesmirRugova, Katerina Santiago, Hannah Sayers, Kayla Schock, Brittany Scott, Camille Sensiba, Benjamin Sherman, William Siegel, Kara Spath, Karlee Spath, Victoria Strumpfler, Ryan Talmadge, Treven Totten, Allison Unser, Madison Watson, Tyler Willard, Michael Wingert, Jed Wiseman and Renee Wyss.                

Academic Honors

* Summa Cum Laude: Uma Bullock, Emily Gaebel, Cadence Mannino, Isabel Nearing, Camille Sensiba and Allison Unser

* Magna Cum Laude: Sage Aviles, Kai Brasseale, Tallula Gann, Greta Hauschild, Emma Hess, Joseph Joyce-Turner, Sabrina Martinez, Alec Milucky, Faith Murns, Chanlyn O’Sullivan, Kayla Schock, Kara Spath, Karlee Spath and Madison Watson.

* Cum Laude: Victoria Arnold, Samantha Becker, Allison Blasingame, Caitlyn Brockner, Sebastian Dao, Brett Dirie, Kevin Eaton, Sydney Hermann, Morgan Huot, Jenna Kratz, Josephine Martinez, Eric McBride, Katerina Plescia, Nile Puerschner, Gillian Rapp, Kyle Reimer, Hannah Sayers and Ryan Talmadge.

* Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors: Uma Bullock, Emily Gaebel, Tallula Gann, Joseph Joyce-Turner, Jenna Kratz, Cadence Mannino, Isabel Nearing, Chanlyn O’Sullivan, Kyle Reimer, Camille Sensiba, Kayla Schock and Allison Unser.

* Advanced Regents Diploma: Victoria Arnold, Sage Aviles, Samantha Becker, Kai Brasseale, Caitlin Brockner, Grace Gaebel, Kylie Gulley, Greta Hauschild, Calvin Heaney, Sydney Hermann, Emma Hess, Kristen Lebron, Josephine Martinez, Sabrina Martinez, Alec Milucky, Nile Puerschner, Hannah Sayers, Kara Spath, Karlee Spath, Ryan Talmadge and Madison Watson.

* Regents Diploma with Honors: Sebastian Dao and Morgan Huot.

* National Honor Society: Victoria Arnold, Caitlin Brockner, Uma Bullock, Emily Gaebel, Tallula Gann, Sydney Hermann, Emma Hess, Joseph Joyce-Turner, Jenna Kratz, Cadence Mannino, Josephine Martinez, Sabrina Martinez, Alec Milucky, Isabel Nearing, Chanlyn O’Sullivan, Camille Sensiba, Kara Spath, Karlee Spath and Allison Unser.

* National Technical Honor Society: Sebastian Dao, Kevin Eaton, Aden Johnson and Brittany Scott.

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — On Saturday morning, June 29, Sullivan West Central School held its annual rite of passage as the local high school honored the graduating Class of 2019.

Before the administrators and soon-to-be grads made their grand entrance, folks entered the gymnasium beneath the five banners above.  With a quick look, you’d get an idea of what education combined with sports is all about; the pennants proclaimed “sportsmanship, dedication, character, hustle, believe.”

The ceremony started with the traditional processional “Pomp and Circumstance,” by Edward Elgar, as performed by the Sullivan West High School Band.

Class of 2019 Vice President Sydney Hermann lead the assemblage in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to this great nation, which was followed in short order by the band’s rendition of Francis Scott Key’s rousingly patriotic National Anthem. The high school senior choir performed the traditional song “No Time,” arranged by Susan Brumfield. 

In his welcoming address, superintendent Stephen Walker struck a light tone by asking the Class of 2019 to “indulge me one final time for a picture for Twitter.” And then he talked about getting a few words of advice from two seniors poised on the brink of graduation.

Isabel “Izzy” Nearing said Walker should “make your speech short, and try to be funny,” while Karlee Spath advised him to take a few hints from her favorite television show “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” in which the clan’s matriarch Kris Jenner offered a bit of wisdom: “If someone tells you no, you’re talking to the wrong person.”

“My advice is to seek out people who will tell you ‘yes,’” he said. “Surround yourself with people who encourage you to follow your dreams, to grow, to achieve, to find your passion and to never stop until you make your life what you want from it… Always remember where you came from.”

Next up to the podium was Sullivan West High School Principal Mark Plescia, who had a front row seat to watch his daughter Katerina Plescia receive her hard-won diploma, wearing a gold stole in recognition of her graduating with cum laude honors.

“This class is special—an academic powerhouse,” he said, noting that 41% of the Class of 2019 graduated with an average GPA of 85% or better, and picked up in excess of a million bucks in scholarships in the process.

Principal Plescia continued, “Not only did these graduates excel in the class, they excelled on the stage, on the fields, courts, wrestling mat and track, leading the Bulldogs to multiple sectional championships. You were born at the turn of the century, you are babies of the new millennium… The only guarantee that can be made is that if you follow your heart—that voice inside you—you cannot be wrong, and you will achieve your dreams,” he said in conclusion.

Class of 2019 Valedictorian Camille Sensiba covered a lot of ground as she talked about the mercurial fluctuations of life, “remembrance, impermanence, memories and legacies.”

“Impermanence is a part of almost every aspect of our lives. Things will end and people will leave, whether you feel excited or saddened by these chapters closing,” she said. “Maybe we create meaning in that empty space that these things leave behind. But to end does not mean to erase. These times in our lives are kept alive by two things: memory and legacy. Remembrance and impermanence go together perfectly, and sometimes memories can be just as beautiful as the event itself….

“And then there’s legacy. That’s how everyone else will remember us after we’re gone. The true beauty of life lies in how these moments will end. It is what we take from them and who we become because of them, will stay with us forever,” Sensiba said in culmination.

Class of 2019 Salutatorian Cadence Mannino took a strong political stance when addressing her fellow grads, and, in a broader sense, the entire audience largely comprised of an older generation.

“We all have the ability to do something great for this world… Currently so full of issues of hate and ignorance, as well as the destruction of our planet through climate change and unsustainable consumption….

“We have the power to spread messages of love and acceptance, and to be the mind behind earth-saving invention. We need to be the generation who takes a stand against intolerance and hatred. We need to be the ones who recognize how serious of an issue the destruction of our planet is, and to do something about it.”

In closing, Mannino quoted a few words penned by J.K. Rowling, author of the acclaimed Harry Potter fantasy series: “We do not need magic to change the world, we all carry the power we need inside ourselves already; we have the power to imagine better.”

After the presentation of diplomas, recitations of scholarships awarded and the announcement of the student gift by class president Joseph Joyce-Turner, the ceremony ended with the high school band playing the traditional recessional.  

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