Saints Graduates Over 120 New Alumni

After a weekend of celebrating the Saint Raphael Academy senior Class of 2019, things are a little quieter on campus with 120-plus students now joining the ranks of more than 7,000 alumni.

Friday evening, a Baccalaureate Mass was celebrated in their honor by SRA chaplain Carl Fisette; it was his last Mass at Saints as well, as he is moving on to URI as their university chaplain. A highlight of the evening was when each senior presented a special person in their life with a rose as thanks for their support throughout high school.

Later, seniors and their family and friends gathered at Venus de Milo for dinner and awards. Twenty-four awards were given to deserving seniors; many included a scholarship. A special appointment was made by Rhode Island Field Force Representative Ms. Duhaime to Ryan Deschene, who is one of five Rhode Islanders to be accepted into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, of the 12,000 applications that they received this year.

The Academy’s highest honor, the Edith Peck Memorial Award, was given to Emily Gaboriault of Central Falls. The Edith Peck Memorial Award is presented in memory of a benefactor and recognizes dedication to academics, service to others and leadership within the school and the community, and reflects the Catholic-Lasallian identity of faith, service and community. (Other award winners are listed below.)

On Sunday afternoon, excited seniors gathered in the basement of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence, donning caps and gowns, taking selfies and congratulating each other. After a group photo together one last time, they headed up to the church in pairs, to the delight of their families and friends.

After the opening prayer, Mrs. Baxter, vice principal of academics, welcomed all to the cathedral. She had some sage advice for the Class of 2019, likening their futures to a “personal pilgrimage:” “A pilgrimage is not meant to be easy, it is meant to challenge you and your beliefs. Its purpose is for exploration and discovery, and that’s exactly what you will be doing as you venture out into the world away from Saint Raphael Academy, which has been your home, protector and haven for the past four years.”

She then introduced valedictorian Theresa Wagner, who will be attending Brown University in the fall, and salutatorian Jillian Hughes, who will be attending Connecticut College. Jillian took the podium for her speech, where described how everything the class experienced influenced them in some way. She said, “Within our shared experience, the distinctly unique experience we each take with us has shaped us into who we are, as individuals, and as the Class of 2019. You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot—here at Saint Raphael Academy.”

The class received their diplomas individually, then as a class they officially turned their tassels to indicate they are graduates. Theresa Wagner then came forward to give her valedictorian speech.

Theresa listed the “things” she and her fellow graduates would need to pack in their backpacks to take with them to be successful in the future. “With courage, resilience, support, fortitude, faith, and countless more values, we will continue to develop into capable young men and women. Therefore, my fellow graduates, it is time to put on our backpacks and march on to the next chapter of our lives, carrying all of our values and strengths that will facilitate our growth and help us achieve success.”

Finally, Principal Dan Richard imparted his advice to the class: “Today I am urging you to be more than just a person of character; I am requesting that you become agents of good in our world.”

With 122 new Saints graduates, the world will have a lot of good spread all around.

 

AWARD WINNERS—CLASS OF 2019

 

GENERAL EXCELLENCE NEXT IN MERIT

Theresa Wagner Jillian Hughes

EXCELLENCE IN THEOLOGY ……………………...………………...………….………......Theresa Wagner
Next in Merit……………………………………………………...……….…..….....……..….Anna-Marie Ferris
EXCELLENCE IN ENGLISH….……………………………….…………………..…...….…..Theresa Wagner
Next in Merit…………………………………………………………………….………..……......Jillian Hughes
EXCELLENCE IN MATHEMATICS………………...…………………….……………………..…....Ying Wu
Next in Merit………………………………………………….……………………….…….…...…..Xiaozi Chen
EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE………………………………………………………..….….……..Jillian Hughes
Next in Merit……………………………………………………………….…….…….………....Ryan Deschene
EXCELLENCE IN SPANISH……………………………………………..…………………….Theresa Wagner
Next in Merit………….……………………………………………………………….…….Jonathan Montalvan
EXCELLENCE IN FRENCH…………………………………………………..……….…...Caroline Alexandre
Next in Merit………………………………………………………………………….……….....Erickson Ramos
EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS……………………………..……………………..….….……..Jacob Summerly
Next in Merit……………………………………………..……………………………………..Jovanny Edouard
EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES………………….……………………………….….....Theresa Wagner
Next in Merit…………………………………………………………………………………..….Emily Fournier
EXCELLENCE IN THE ARTS………………………………………………….……………..Emily Gaboriault
Next in Merit……………………………………………………………………………….…..…...Jaclyn Martin
EXCELLENCE IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION…………………………..…………Gabriela Castaneda-Pineda
Next in Merit…………………………………………………………….………………………...Conor O’Brien

DISTINGUISHED AWARDS

EDITH PECK PHILLIPS MEMORIAL AWARD……………………...…………….…….….Emily Gaboriault
MARGARET McGEOUGH MEMORIAL AWARD……………………………….……...………...Sydney Charette
LEONA ROGERS MEMORIAL AWARD……………………………….……………….………….Theresa Wagner
RITA PRATT MEMORIAL AWARD…………………………………………………….……………...Ariana Yany
HENRY A. BARRY ’31 MEMORIAL AWARD……………………………….………………....…..Reilly Johnston
DALTON-HULME ’64 MEMORIAL AWARD……………………………….……………….…...Joseph Osmanski
C. DONA MAYNARD ’29 AWARD……………………………………...…………….…...……….Sierra Gonzalez
JOSEPH T. MCHALE ’62 AWARD………………………………..………..…………...………Jonathan Montalvan
COLONEL JAMES A. MACDOUGALD ’46 MEMORIAL AWARD………………………...……...Ryan Deschene
DENNIS M. LYNCH, JR. ’74 MEMORIAL AWARD………………………………………...…….Benjamin Senra
DOREEN A. TOMLINSON ’80 MEMORIAL AWARD………………………………….………..…Emily Fournier
SHAWN M. NASSANEY ’94 MEMORIAL AWARD………………………………….…….....Serena-Rose Gaskin
GARY JACK ’74 MEMORIAL AWARD……………………………………………..…………...….Mateus Cezario
PRINCIPAL’S LEADERSHIP AWARD……………………………..………….……………………...Jillian Hughes
SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE AWARD……………………...…………….…………….....John de Abreu
OUTSTANDING BUSINESS STUDENT AWARD………………………..……………………..…Ryan Sutherland
FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT AWARD…………….………………….…...…………….Emily Gaboriault
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR LEADERSHIP AWARD…………………..………………….……...Theresa Wagner
THOMAS E. BURGESS MEMORIAL AWARD………………………………………...……………….Jake LeFort
SENATOR PELL MEDAL IN AMERICAN HISTORY……………………….…………….…...…...Ryan Deschene
SIGNUM FIDEI AWARD……………………………….…Emily Gaboriault, Serena-Rose Gaskin, Theresa Wagner

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARDS…...Caroline Alexandre, John de Abreu, Aylin Torres, Samantha Fernandez, Tyler Descoteaux-Bouffard, Ryan Deschene, Emily Fournier, Serena-Rose Gaskin, Emily Gaboriault, Ariana Yany,
Gwenyth Hultquist, Gabriela Castaneda-Pineda, Reilly Johnston, Jonathan Montalvan, Ryan Sutherland, Theresa Wagner

SAINTS ANGEL AWARD….……….Vitoria Bastos, Gina Benevides, Nolan Carlson, Pride Clark, Christian Colon, Jonathan David, Tyler Descoteaux-Bouffard, Benjamin Dube, Anna-Marie Ferris, Mone’t Gailloux, Korto Jackson, Britney Handrigan, Brianna Keaney, William Lima, Nathaniel Mottur, Ryan Obenchain, Chulin Pan, Conor O’Brien, Jonathan Montalvan, Blaze Salako, Jordan Severino, Pablo Uribe, Benjamin Senra

PERFECT ATTENDANCE AWARD…………………..…………………...……Serena-Rose Gaskin, Jasmyn Renzi

 

Class of 2019

Christian O. Abis
Elizabeth Aguiar #+
Caroline Beaudoin Alexandre Δ
Beatriz Almeida ±+Δ
Faith Alves †#+Δ¤
Stephanie Amaral ±#+Δ
Noah Ammon +Δ
Melanie Vanessa Arias
Michelle Ariza †+Δ¤
Thomas W. Arsenault, Jr.
Dekontee Amelia Barnard
Vitoria Dutra Bastos +
Gina Alexia Benevides ‡+Δ¤
Avion Jordan Bloe
Mashyra Brantley
John David Brennan +
Tyler Bricault
Samantha Buckley
Samuel R. Calise #+
Nolan Carlson #+
Gabriela Castaneda-Pineda ‡#+Δ*¤
Mateus Feltrin Cezario Δ
Sydney Lynn Charette ‡#+Δ¤
Xiaozi Chen ±+
NiyaElizabeth Cherry
Pride J. Clark
Morgan Yvette Collins ‡#+Δ¤
Christian Daniel Colon
Zachary Luis DaCosta
Jonathan David
John David de Abreu †#+Δ
Molly Margaret DeAngelis ±#+
Walter Danny DeBarros
Ryan Raymond Deschene ‡#+Δ¤
Tyler Joseph Descoteaux Bouffard +
Alivia Catriona Diaz #+Δ
Yasmín Kíra Díaz †#+Δ*¤
Michael J. DiCenzo
Benjamin Dube ‡+Δ¤
Jovanny C. Edouard
Elizabeth Ann Fera +
Samantha Rose Fernandez #+Δ*
Hernes Ferrer, Jr.
Anna-Marie K. Ferris ‡#+Δ*¤
Glenn Filipe ‡+Δ*¤
Emily Constance Fournier ‡#+Δ*¤
Molly Frazier †#+Δ¤
Emily Marie Gaboriault ‡#+Δ*¤
Mone't Gailloux
Serena Rose Ayana Gaskin ‡#+Δ¤
Isabel González ±+Δ*
Sierra Nicole Gonzalez ±#+Δ
Steve Guaman Δ
Britney Marie Handrigan
Jillian Hughes ‡#+Δ*¤
Shawn Michael Hughes ±#+¤
Gwenyth Anne Hultquist ‡#+Δ¤
Korto Jackson
Kevin D. Johnson †+Δ
Reilly Michael Johnston ±#+Δ¤
Brianna Marie Keaney
Jeremy Knox ±#+Δ*¤
Wonho La +
Alexia Lucy LaPorte ±+Δ
Andrew Nicholas Lebeuf †#+Δ¤
Jake Hunter LeFort ±#+*
Chengyu Liang +
William Baxter Lima
Isabelle Sophia Lucca ‡#+Δ
Kezia Makor #+
Isabelle Grace Marcolivio
Jaclyn Kelly Martin *
Tyree Martin
Emma Anne McDonough ‡#+Δ¤
Kylie Elaine McLaughlin ‡#+¤
Gianna Celina Medeiros †#+Δ¤
Emily Margaret Mello
Jonathan DaCunha Montalvan ‡#+Δ*¤
Cano Lucas Morales +
Nathaniel Hall Mottur
Melissa Lynn Muñoz †#+Δ¤
Kaitlyn Marie Newton ‡#+Δ¤
Isabella Nieto Δ
Ryan Obenchain
Conor O'Brien
Joseph Charles Osmanski +
Héctor Rey Padilla ±#+Δ¤
Chulin Pan
Lauren Grace Racine †#+Δ
Erickson Ramos ±+
Jasmyn Alexis Renzi †+Δ¤
Jack Everett Rigley †#+Δ*¤
Justin Presler Roberts
Maximiliano Rodriguez-Cepparo Δ
Ivan J. Rosa
Okikioluwa Blaze Salako
Jesus Eliezer Santos ‡+Δ¤
Benjamin Arthur Senra †#+Δ¤
Jordan Severino #+Δ
Montana Sisson ±#+Δ
Andru Stephens +
Jacob Alan Summerly ±+
Ryan Christopher Sutherland #+
Aurelie J. Sylva ±#+Δ
Blessing Tawari
Aylin A. Torres ±#+Δ
Kelvin Jose Torres
Isaac P. Tracy
Taylor Joy Troiano †#+Δ
Pablo Alejandro Uribe
Theresa Nicole Wagner ‡#+Δ*¤
Alexis F. Washington †#+Δ¤
Matthew Joseph West
Devon James White
Sarah Louise Williams +
Garmodeh E. Willie ±+
Ying Wu ±+
Ariana Alexa Yany †#+Δ*¤
Haochong (Harry) Zeng
Yiqi Zhao
Huiyuan Zheng ±+

Summa Cum Laude ‡
Magna Cum Laude †
Cum Laude ±
National Honor Society #
Rhode Island Honor Society +
Foreign Language Honor Society Δ 
International Thespian Honor Society *
Moore Scholars ¤