SJCHS Class of 2017
OGDEN — The 61st annual commencement ceremony of St. Joseph Catholic High School began with the traditional playing of “Pomp and Circumstance” as the 37 members of the Class of 2017 filed into St. Joseph Catholic Church, past the camera phones wielded by family members, the girls in their white graduation caps and gowns filling the front pews on the left side, the boys in their green caps and gowns on the right.
The members of the graduating class cumulatively have been accepted to more than 40 colleges, and two will enter the U.S. Army. Almost every student has received scholarships or grant money which, over the next four years, totals to over $2.4 million.
After the invocation given by Holy Cross Sister Catherine Kamphaus, assistant superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools, and the awards ceremony, teacher Jay Hart gave his keynote address.
After asking for forgiveness from the guests for the inside jokes he was about to make, Hart said he was shocked that the Class of 2017 had asked him to give the commencement address because “I couldn’t possibly understand why, after spending a year or more together, you would want to hear anything else from me?”
As the seniors laughed, he spoke directly to them, asking if they were sure they wanted him to talk about them. “Do you really want me to reveal to your friends and family tidbits like” the fact that one student has trouble trying to spell his own last name, or that another has a unique way with punctuation? he asked.
He continued telling personal jests about each of the students, to their classmates’ delight, before turning serious.
People should not resist the changes that occur to the dreams that they are pursuing, Hart said, and he also suggested that in college, the students take at least one class for no reason other than that interests them, rather than enrolling in only those that are required for their major.
Hart ended his talk with the traditional blessing from Numbers 6:24-26, “May the Lord bless thee and keep thee. …”
“I will miss you,” he said, and closed with a joke that drew laughter and applause, “What did the buffalo say to his son who went off to college? Bye, son.”
In her co-valedictory greeting, Kathleen Tomon said during the senior send-offs she realized the impact that her class has had on the school, she said.
The seniors form one of the smallest classes at the school, but “we finally saw victories, region championships, theater roles, and much more,” she said. “We developed new hobbies, found part-time jobs, developed relationships with our incredible teachers, and we finally started to find our own niche. As seniors, we finally won the Jayweek dodge ball game and the senior faculty game without cheating,” she said, as her classmates laughed. “We became leaders, role models and better friends. We leave behind trophies, artwork and memories. … When people talk about the ‘Saint Joe’s student’ who displays everything that it means to be a Jayhawk, I believe that our class has set the bar. Each of us are what it means to be a Jayhawk. We exude compassion, thoughtfulness, loyalty, heart, but most importantly, pride.”
Now that they have graduated, they can look back on their memories and realize they are each individuals with specific talents, she said. “I’m thankful to have met each and every one of you and I know that when people look back at the class of 2017, they’ll remember us, one of the best classes they ever had.”
Co-valedictorian Gregory Sweetland opened his address by thanking the faculty, friends and family for their support, and added, “I sincerely hope you will continue that assistance as we move on to bigger and better things. Personally, I want to thank my parents, who brought me up with love, discipline, God, too many pairs of khakis to count, an astronomical food bill, and all the other things that made me into the man I am today; knowing that they will always be there for me, in both good times and bad, gives me the courage I need to leave home and go forge my own path.”
He also thanked his extended family, the St. Joseph faculty and staff, and his classmates before offering this advice: “Do what you love. … And moreover, don’t just do what you love, but take pride in it. Your love of whatever you do should not be something to be ashamed of, no matter how weird or wacky it is. … And I feel confident telling all of you to do this because I know how widely varied your passions are. And that diversity of talents is a beautiful thing. It allows us to come together as a community to accomplish things that we could never do on our own,” he said.
SJCHS Class of 2017 Awards
The Luis Angel Magaña Huerta Award is given to Jayhawks students who successfully completed seven or more AP courses throughout their four years at St. Joseph CHS. This year, the award was presented to Gregory Sweetland and Kathleen Tomon
St. Joseph Award: Masen White
Department Awards:
Science: Gregory Sweetland
Math: Kathleen Tomon
English: Brianna Palmer
Spanish: Tania Romo
Social Studies: Tatiana Chudy
Music: Khanh Tran
Computer: Sean Hurst
Audio Visual: Masen White
Visual Arts: Danny Donlevy
Performing Arts: Monica Robbins
Theology: Jacob Windsor
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