Rosarian Academy celebrated its Baccalaureate Mass and graduated 28 young men and women in its Class of 2022 on Thursday, May 26 in the school Theater. Meredith Hunt, Rosarian Academy Class of 2003, gave the heartfelt commencement address.
“It’s difficult for me to articulate how much Rosarian means to me, but if I had to sum it up in one phrase it would be foundation for life,” Ms. Hunt said. She continued on to describe the two most influential characteristics from Rosarian’s foundation to be “the importance of dedication in all aspects of our lives” and “second, but more importantly, we realized the value of both a close relationship with God and a ceaseless commitment to Catholic morals.”
In elaborating on the latter point, she described the friendship between the late Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsberg as models. “Embrace and respect differences,” Ms. Hunt said, “Model the Catholic lesson you’ve learned, witnessed, and practiced at Rosarian—the Golden Rule, treat others the way you want to be treated… Be kind to people no matter how different they are from you. If I had to credit my accomplishments to one thing, it would not be intelligence, talent, prestigious schools, or the right degrees. Instead, it would be my commitment to the Catholic values that were stressed at Rosarian, my dedication to simply waking up every morning and trying to be the nicest person I can be. And, I’d be remiss not to also stress the value of hard work and determination.”
Ms. Hunt certainly has achieved many accomplishments. While attending Rosarian Academy, amongst other honors she earned Student of the Year. She continued on to be valedictorian at Cardinal Newman High School, to graduate magna cum laude with honors in her concentration from Brown University, and to graduate summa cum laude from the College of William and Mary School of Law. She began her career as a mergers and acquisitions attorney with the renowned Simpson Thacher & Bartlett law firm in New York City. Currently, she serves as associate general counsel of the private equity firm, Certares. Ms. Hunt and her husband are also new Rosarian parents this year.
Following the commencement address, Student Council President, Brady Surovek, presented the eighth grade class gift, a statue of St. Dominic to be displayed in the school.
Students received special awards and recognition, including the 2022 President’s Award for Academic
Excellence, which honors students who have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale throughout their middle school experience. Recipients of this prestigious award were Mark Albury, Heidi Alcime, Luc Borzillieri, Ava Castro, Ella Ross Lang, Chase Pariseleti, Brady Surovek, Annabelle Walsh and Mercer Ward.
Additionally, other special awards presented were the President’s Education Award for Educational Achievement awarded to Zaira Brin and Trey Wagner; Highest Standing Academic Accomplishment at Rosarian Academy awarded to Mark Albury for having the highest GPA in his class as well as excellent conduct and effort; Highest Academic Honors awarded to Mark Albury, Ella Ross Lang, Brady Surovek and Mercer Ward for earning “A’s” and “E’s” in all subjects and “A’s” on all exams; the St. Dominic Award awarded to Brady Surovek and Trey Wagner for demonstrating a strong belief in God, the pursuit of truth in all forms and the Christian values of kindness, respect and integrity; and the Rowdie Award to Annabelle Walsh for participating in three or more varsity sports in 6th, 7th and 8th grade.
Outstanding achievement in subject area awards went to: Pre-Algebra, George Weston; Algebra I Honors, Hannah Cook; Geometry Honors, Mercer Ward; Pre-Calculus and History, Brady Surovek; English, Heidi Alcime; Literature, Luc Borzillieri; Science, Ella Ross Lang; Religion, Chase Pariseleti; Spanish, Pierce Johnson; Art, Zaira Brin; Drama, Joseph Cioffi; Music, Annabelle Walsh; Physical Education Alex Rionda; and STEM, Jonathan Brancatelli.
Head of School, Dr. Linda Trethewey concluded the ceremony with closing remarks offering encouragement and inspiration:
“Today is about looking to the future, remember the foundation that has been established here at Rosarian Academy. Hold onto your faith- it will be tested. Hold onto your eagerness to expect hope…. Hope ignites innovation, stirs reform, and summons change.… Remember the foundation that you have received at Rosarian Academy. You are always welcome here. Have the courage to follow your heart and dreams and become you!”
Palm Beach residents who are part of Rosarian’s Class of 2022 include Ava Castro, Ella Ross Lang, and George Weston. Commencement Address speaker Meredith Hunt is also a Palm Beach resident.
Rosarian Academy, founded in 1925, educates students from early childhood through eighth grade and offers an exceptionally strong academic program enriched by faith, athletics, visual and performing arts, and community service opportunities. The independent, Catholic school is located on Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach and is sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Bus service is available throughout Palm Beach County. For more information, visit www.rosarian.org or call 561.345.3106.
Rosarian Academy’s Class of 2022 will matriculate to the following high schools:
The Benjamin School:
Luc Borzillieri
Cardinal Newman High School:
Mark Albury II
Heidi Alcime
Julian Barr
Ava Castro
Jackson Hendrix
Nathan Hendrix
Anthony Javarone
Joshua Pierce Johnson
Peter Nicholas Lombardi, Jr.
Rocco Marcello
Grace Molina
Chase Pariseleti
Alejandro Rionda
Jack Smeenge
Brady Surovek
Kenneth “Trey” Wagner
Annabelle Walsh
Joseph Walsh
George Weston
G-Star School of the Arts
Evelyn Bruckerhoff
The King’s Academy
Zaira “Zaza” Brin
Hannah Cook
Oxbridge Academy
Jonathan Brancatelli
Ella Ross Lang
Asher Levitt
Katherine Mercer Ward
Seminole Ridge Community High School
Joseph Cioffi
