On Friday, June 10, the Sant Bani School community celebrated the 16 graduating members of the SBS Class of 2022. The day began with the class gathering for a photo session before each grade assembled in the Middle Building for the traditional procession down the hill into the tent on Allen Field, which concluded with the eighth graders being the final group to enter the tent to a thunderous applause.
Each year, the graduating class chooses SBS faculty to serve as speakers throughout the ceremony. Spanish teacher Linda Billin offered the Invocation; middle school math teacher Merrick Smith served as the graduation speaker; middle school English Language Arts teacher Wendy Pietroniro P’22 ’24 read the graduates’ names as they received their diplomas; and front desk receptionist Robin Lane Bach P’28 concluded the ceremony with the Benediction.
To begin his speech, Merrick offered a quote from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “We can never step into the same river twice, for the river will not be the same river and we will not be the same we.” He continued by explaining that “we are always moving and changing to become a different version of ourselves,” and later encouraged the audience to, if they see a chance in life, take it and assume that they will never get that opportunity again – but, if they miss it, to move on
Congratulations to the Sant Bani School Class of 2022: Zoey Benevides, Chris Boksanske, Quinn Churchill, James DeBenedictis, Zach Dudek, Elli Englund, Jakai Gage, Asa Gilman, Ethan Henry, Sebastian Jones, Preston Kennell, Luna McCulloch, Ellis Pietroniro, Georgia Shartar-Howe, Alex Skinner, and Anna Warzocha.