Congratulations, Class of 2024: Judge Memorial

Photo 1 of 2

SALT LAKE CITY — On May 19 commencement exercises for the Judge Memorial Catholic High School Class of 2024 were held at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City.

The invocation was delivered by Father Christopher Gray, JMCHS Class of ’01 and pastor of Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Parish in Park City. Then Principal Patrick Lambert praised the graduates for their resilience over the past four years.

Beginning high school during a pandemic with masks and social distancing was not easy, but the students rose to the challenge, he said. “One of our biggest concerns was how your class was going to be able to bond. We know that bonding with classmates and teachers is essential for a positive schooling experience. I’m proud to say that I have zero concerns about you all as a class when it comes to being social.”

The class succeeded in other areas as well, he said, carrying an overall 3.319 unweighted and 3.55 weighted GPA; 54 percent of the seniors are graduating with honors. They were accepted by 182 colleges and will attend 55 of them; one class member will serve in the ROTC while in college. They were awarded more than $ 17.3 million in scholarships and renewable grants, contributed 14,163 hours of service to the community and earned 52 service awards.

Lambert counseled the graduates to remember the charges they were given when they began their education at Judge: to love one another and to remember God’s love for all his children.

“Today, the Judge Memorial community gathers to honor the academic achievements of this incredible class. We collectively applaud your accomplishments and acknowledge your success in completing your high school education,” he said.

Salutatorian Anna James, a first-generation American and first-generation college student,  recapped the many challenges – from Covid to AP Human Geography – that her class had overcome.

“We made it,” she said. “After four hard, intense years, we made it to the final stage. As we are saying hello to the future life we are about to start, I ask that each of us remember the fighting spirit we had. The fight that pushed us from being a half-online class to being the senior class that won a state championship.

“It’s not a question of whether or not we’re going to face difficulties in life; rather, what’s more important is how we react to them,” James said. “Are we going to let them take us down or find a way to use it to make us stronger? For all of our sakes, I hope we use our past high school years as an example, and always choose the latter.”

Valedictorian Katie Valentine shared with her classmates many of the little moments during their high school journey that she found memorable, and asked them not to forget them.

“As we are scattered across the country, I challenge you to savor those little moments,” she said. “The things that we do every day ultimately compose our lives.

“Wrapping up my time here at Judge, it’s become clear to me that it’s the smallest moments that make the biggest impact on who you are,” Valentine said. “We are [made up of] every day, every minute of every hour of every day, so find things that make you smile and fall in love with life.”

After the diplomas were presented by Catholic Schools Superintendent Mark Longe, Fr. Gray shared some remarks with the graduating seniors.

Explaining why the ceremony was called a commencement he said, “It is a fundamental belief that what you now begin is better than what you have finished. I envy you today because you are more than graduates; commencement signifies something far greater than graduation. Commencement sets you free. What a great lightness, what a great grace there is in beginning anew.

“This fantastic Catholic liberal arts education you have received at Judge Memorial was never really about the awards you received, the AP credits you may have racked up, the universities to which you are accepted, championships you won, the parties you hosted … all of the skills, facts and even knowledge of the world you’ve gained,” he reminded them in parting. “Rather this education was about forming you to the kind of person who loves truth, beauty and goodness, who possesses the wisdom and the humility to truly ‘know thyself.’”

Judge Memorial High School Class of 2024

112 graduates

64 honor graduates (cumulative 3.5 GPA or higher)

10 First Honors

25 Academic Excellence Awards 

Christ the King Award: Anna James and Gabriel Ambrose

Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City Award for outstanding scholar-participant in athletics: Demarco Souter and Katherine Valentine

Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City Award for outstanding scholar-participant in activities: Theodore (Ted) Hyngstrom, Skye Johnstone