Red B a Catho nk l i High c Sch
Artur Workstus, a member of RBC’s Class of 2018, hands Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., the cruet containing the wine during the Baccalaureate Mass that preceded the graduation ceremony.
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Proud-to-be Caseys urged
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to continue service, aim high
By Christina Leslie, Correspondent
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receded by the skirl of bagpipes honoring the school’s Irish roots, faculty, staff and students of Red Bank Catholic High School strode confidently June 4 into the main arena of the OceanFirst Bank Center on the campus of Monmouth University, West Long Branch. Joyful family and friends witnessed the 215 members of the Red Bank High School Class of 2018 receive their diplomas, turn their tassels and mark a milestone in their education. Pictures of classes, athletic events and camaraderie among the members of the class flashing on the electronic Jumbotron suspended high above the floor soon gave way to the school seal and motto, “Pro An RBC graduate checks out Deo Et Patria” (For all the photos that were taken God and Country) of the Baccalaureate Mass and as school chaplain graduation ceremony. Father Ariel Robles delivered an invocation. Earlier that day in the arena, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., celebrated a Baccalaureate Mass, joined by priests of the Diocese, including Father Robles and Msgr. Philip A. Lowery, head of school and pastor of St. James Parish, Red Bank. Robert Abatemarco, principal of the Red Bank school, served as master of ceremonies of the graduation ceremony, expressing pride in the young men and women seated before him. “It’s almost unfair that once we get to know them, we have to let them go,” the principal of 23 years said wistfully. Abatemarco noted the 2018 class had been accepted to colleges and universities in 33 states, and earned a total of more than $31.4 million in scholarships and awards. They also had participated in thousands of hours of fundraising and community despite no school requirement to do so. “They did it not because they had to, but they did it because they are Caseys,” Abatemarco said, using the nickname derived from Msgr. Joseph T. Casey, a retired Navy rear admiral and
instrumental school figure in the mid-1900s. In her valedictory address, Kaitlyn Elizabeth Graduates: 215 Wood said she would not give her peers advice, but rather issue them a challenge: reconsider, as Baccalaureate Mass did Holden Caulfield in the coming-of-age novel, and Commencement: “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger. Monmouth University, “We must be the reader, not the protagonist, in June 4, 2018 our novel. It is up to us to analyze, digest and act,” said the young woman, who is slated to attend Scholarships Received: Georgetown University, Washington, in the fall. $31.4 million Class salutatorian Lauren Elizabeth Walker asked her fellow graduates to examine what they loved about the thought of their future. “‘If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it,’” Walker said, quoting entrepreneur and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. “Make your goals too big, because if we are not failing, nothing has been achieved.” Msgr. Lowery acknowledged he had celebratValedictorian: Salutatorian: ed the First Holy Communion Mass of some of the Kaitlyn Wood Lauren Walker students and reminded them they would join the ranks of the nearly 15,000 alumni. “I send you off knowing that Jesus Christ is truly primary in your life,” he said. It was John Donne who wrote, 'No man is an island, Asking members of the Sisters of entire of itself,' and Aristotle who said, 'The whole is greater than Mercy to stand for recognition in their the sum of its parts.' Yes, we are individuals, but we are not alone. longtime work with the school, Msgr. In fact, it is our individualities that make us collectively great. Lowery said, “They have been an Our talents and achievements have stimulated and subsequently integral part of our faculty.” fostered our growth as a class. We are each other’s greatest Class president Blaise G. Tamburri sources of inspiration. This is a bond that we will carry with us led the graduates in the ceremonithroughout our lives as the Red Bank Catholic Class of 2018.” al turning of the tassel to mark their Kaitlyn Wood, Valedictorian Speech last act as a Red Bank Catholic High School student, resounding cheers echoing through the arena.
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RBC graduates from left, Margaret Leys, Christopher Linfante and Brandon Lombana recite the Pledge of Allegiance during their graduation ceremony held June 4 at Monmouth University. Joe Moore photos
JUNE 2018 • TrentonMonitor.com •
Class of 2018 • G13