RPS News: Graduation Edition

On Friday evening, RHS celebrated the 109th annual Commencement at Tiger Hollow Stadium. Families and friends packed the bleachers and lined the field to witness this important rite of passage—the culmination of 13 years at RPS for our seniors and the commencement of the rest of their lives. The day was celebratory and magical, with a magnitude of memories, only some of which could be captured below. Students and staff wore GRADD (Government of Ridgefield Against Drunk Driving) pins, provided by the Ridgefield Police Department, as a reminder of our community's commitment to celebrating safely.

Here is a list of the Class of 2025 Candidates for Graduation.. Thank you to all who worked behind the scenes to plan the ceremony and make Tiger Hollow accessible to all! We are also grateful to the party planners for the Post-Graduation event. We hear it was a blast!

The speakers (listed below with links to some of the transcripts) spoke of this class as being special. They spoke of loss and triumph, struggle and redemption, challenge and cohesion, growth and gratitude. Multiple speakers referred to the class as the one that captured the Homecoming Spirit Week Trophy for two consecutive years:) Class President Bryan Fitzpatrick and Student Body President Naomi Vakil did a fantastic job reading the graduates' names with precision and alacrity.

Class President, Bryan Fitzpatrick, reflected on the past four years, reminding his classmates to cherish the small things. His address can be read here.

William Carter's Valedictorian amusing address (not ChatGPT generated) is available here. A profile of Will can be found in the June 6 issue of RPS Update.

The Class of 2025 invited senior Lloyd Mills to deliver the Class Speaker's address, which wove teacher remembrances with the theme of "giving up." A Q&A with Lloyd about his speech and time at RHS, written by his classmate Murphy Everdell, is featured in the June 13 issue of RPS Update.

Twelfth-grade Dean and math teacher Courtney Iszczyszyn expressed surprise at being invited to deliver remarks by the Class of 2025, given her role as class disciplinarian. Read her touching and entertaining Faculty Speaker's address here.

RHS Principal Dr. Jacob Greenwood welcomed families and certified the diplomas. His remarks about the Class's "intentional kindness" can be viewed here.

Assistant Principal Christine Hopkinson honored retiring teachers, Andy Maccabe, Barbara Lohse, and Lori Peck.

Dr. Da Silva spoke from the heart, with inspiration from tennis great Roger Federer's Dartmouth College graduation speech, music from the past 18 years, and her own experience as a parent of a 2025 high school graduate.

Board of Education Chair Tina Malhotra highlighted her experience of overcoming the challenges of moving to Ridgefield without knowing anyone and being from a different cultural background, before awarding the diplomas.

Apart from the bagpipe procession played by Marshal Jonathan Henken, RHS students provided the music for the ceremony, which made the celebration particularly beautiful and moving. Seniors entered Tiger Hollow to "Pomp and Circumstance" and recessed to "La Réjouissance," played by the RHS Graduation Band, directed by George Beratis. The Graduation Choir, led by Lauren Verney-Fink, sang the "National Anthem" and the Beatles' favorite "In My Life," a selection from which has already garnered relative viral status on Instagram. Thank you to the graduating seniors in the Choir who joined younger students to sing. Please enjoy the video of "In My Life" here. As Dr. Da Silva might say, "Tissue alert!"

Members of the Class of 2025 are off to some of the most selective universities in the world. Boston College, Northwestern, Syracuse University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Williams College, and Yale University are just some of the colleges that have attracted more than one student from the Class of 2025. Please see the full list of Colleges and Universities as of June 9, 2025. Thank you, RHS school counselors. Congratulations, families and students!

The Class of 2025 earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships from local and national sources. Congratulations!

Read the Scholarship winners here.

Read the RHS Awards here.

Photo above: Four Ridgefield Thrift Shop scholarship recipients. The Thrift Shop awarded $7500 scholarships to twelve RPS students. Thank you!

Student photographers captured the glamour at this spring's big events.

The RHS Athletic Department invited all RHS Class of '25 grads planning to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level for a photo immediately following graduation rehearsal at Tiger Hollow last week. Here is the list of student-athletes who have alerted the Athletic Department of their plans to continue their athletic careers at NCAA Division I, II, or III schools, NAIA institutions, or JUCO institutions.

Editor's Note: We offer sincere apologies to anyone we may have missed or any incorrect information. Please direct any changes to apratt@ridgefieldps.net

Images from graduation will be available on the website below:

Direct Link:

https://zenfolio.page.link/W88Sn

Group Password:

357325

Please reach out to Legacy Studios at customercare@legacystudios.com with any questions.

Interested in rewatching the Class of 2025 Graduation Ceremony?

Visit the RHS YouTube Channel for the livestream!

Program from the 109th RHS Commencement

View more photos and videos of our seniors in the 2024-25 SY Highlight Reel below (watch to the end!). Photos of Senior Field Day, Grad Walks at the Elementary Schools, and senior internships can also be found in past RPS Updates and on Instagram.

We would love to hear from you! Families and staff can submit stories, comments, or corrections to RPS Communications. Please follow us on Social Media with links below.