A swarm of hungry Ponte Vedra Sharks flooded the University of North Florida Arena Saturday afternoon as the class of 2019 completed their final assignment to walk across the stage for their graduation.
The ceremony began with principal Dr. Fred Oberkehr welcoming guests and the graduates. He praised the parents of the graduates and assured them that they “are an exceptional group of young men and women who have worked hard at everything they have done and will continue to do.”
Oberkehr also gave an emotional tribute and asked for a moment of silence for faculty member Theresa Stevens and 17-year-old student Frank Ferrante, two Ponte Vedra Sharks who died earlier this school year.
“Here on stage, we have two empty seats to honor two very special people,” he said. “The first is for our gifted itinerant, Ms. Theresa Stevens who passed this year. To know her is to understand how she helped so many of our gifted students with the day-to-day challenges of academics as well as life, in general. The other is for a young man who certainly should have been be seated with us today. A man who put others before himself, a gentle soul who was respected among his peers and will be missed greatly. And of course, I’m referring to Frank Ferrante.”
St. Johns County School District Superintendent Tim Forson then spoke about being reflective and making the world a better place.
St. Johns County School Board Chair and District 4 Representative Kelly Barrera reminded students about the importance of being present in the moment. Salutatorian Gabby Keller reminded the audience that “even though we may not know how to cook meals or do our own laundry, we know much more geometry than we’ll ever need.”
The final speech of the ceremony came from Valedictorian Grace Freedman, who shared her two hopes for the class of 2019.
“My first hope for our class is that we don’t succumb to societal pressure of defining success in conventional terms,” she stated. “That we refuse to measure intelligence linearly, for confining it to numbers, letter grades and even parking spots leaves out important aspects of humanity, like passion and creativity, services above self and the greater good.
“My second wish is that we use our voice,” she continued. “America’s youth has proven time and time again that it has the power to wield an enormous impact via our collective voice and remarkable actions. Whichever issue you deem important, it’s incumbent upon all of us to leave the world in a better shape. … For if we do so, we will be remembered as a class, and by extension, a generation of action and hope. A generation that’s not only passionate, but compassionate, filled with innovation and intellect, creativity and progress.”
