Sacred Heart Preparatory Celebrates Commencement in its 125th Year

Graduates are headed to colleges across the country and internationally

ATHERTON, Calif., May 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sacred Heart Preparatory (SHP) graduated 149 students at its commencement ceremony on Friday, May 24—a momentous occasion taking place in the same year the school is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Graduates from the Class of 2024 will attend at least 72 different institutions: at least 55 students will study in California, 90 will study out of state, and two will study out of the country.

Twenty-nine students earned recognition by the National Merit Scholarship program (six were finalists and 23 were commended), while an equal 29 students have committed to play intercollegiate athletics.

Thirty-two members of the graduating class have been on the preschool – grade 12 Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (SHS) campus for 12 or more years.

At the ceremony, diplomas were presented by Marnie Marcin, chair of the Board of Trustees; Richard A. Dioli, director of schools; Jorge Reyes, assistant principal, curriculum and academics; and Jason Armstrong, assistant principal for athletics. Dioli gave remarks along with SHP Principal Dr. Jennie Whitcomb, Valedictorian Thalia Stavropoulos, Salutatorian JP Kerrigan, and faculty speaker Julie Tsutsui, SHP math teacher.

Following a century-old school tradition, "Blue Ribbons" were awarded to select students, nominated by the faculty and ratified by the administration. Blue Ribbons are the highest honor given by SHS to graduating seniors and reflect outstanding achievement in academics and standards of character in the fulfillment of one or more of the school's guiding Goals & Criteria.

With college choices ranging from public and private institutions large and small, the Class of 2024 shows a breadth of interests in its future academic goals. Students plan to pursue programs as wide ranging as STEM, visual and performing arts, humanities, social sciences, business, and more.

In closing, Valedictorian Thalia Stavropoulos gave the following advice to the Class of 2024, "be open and be yourself, because sharing our distinctive gifts is what has made our SHP community so special, and it is what will make our next communities so remarkable too."

ABOUT SACRED HEART SCHOOLS, ATHERTON
Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (www.shschools.org) was founded in 1898 and is located on a 63-acre campus in Atherton, California. The school is an accredited preschool through 12th grade school, with a total enrollment of 1,185 students, and is a member of the International Network of Schools of the Sacred Heart.

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SOURCE Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton