por 
THE BAJA POST
NEWSROOOM
SOURCE: PRN MEDIA
Sacred Heart Preparatory (SHP) graduated 171 students at its 125th commencement ceremony on Friday, May 26, its largest graduating class to date. Graduates from the Class of 2023 will attend 84 different institutions: 72 students will study in California, 98 will study out of state, and one of those students will study out of the country.
Twenty-three students earned recognition by the National Merit Scholarship program (seven were finalists and 16 were commended). A record students have committed to play intercollegiate athletics; one will attend the U.S. Naval Academy.
Thirty-one members of the graduating class have been on the preschool – grade 12 Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (SHS) campus for 12 or more years.
This year’s event was held at SHS’s football field; diplomas were presented by Marnie Marcin, chair of the Board of Trustees; Richard A. Dioli, director of schools; Jorge Reyes, assistant principal, curriculum and academics; and Jason Armstrong, assistant principal for athletics. Dioli gave remarks along with SHP Principal Dr. Jennie Whitcomb; Valedictorian Paul Fong; Salutatorian Nic Nikcevic, and faculty speaker Mike Judge, SHP science teacher.
Following a century-old school tradition, «Blue Ribbons» were awarded to select students, nominated by the faculty and ratified by the administration. Blue Ribbons are the highest honor given by SHS to graduating seniors and reflect outstanding achievement in academics and standards of character in the fulfillment of one or more of the school’s guiding Goals & Criteria.
With college choices ranging from public and private institutions large and small, the Class of 2023 shows a breadth of interests in its future academic goals. Students plan to pursue programs as wide ranging as STEM, visual and performing arts, humanities, social sciences, and more.
As Valedictorian Paul Fong said in his address, the Class of 2023, despite navigating the COVID-19 pandemic since freshman year, has been «guided by what we have learned these four years: let us see opportunities, not obstacles, to fulfilling our mission of love and service.»
ABOUT SACRED HEART SCHOOLS, ATHERTON
Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (www.shschools.org) was founded in 1898 and is located on a 63-acre campus in Atherton, California. The school is an accredited preschool through 12th grade school, with a total enrollment of 1,185 students, and is a member of the International Network of Schools of the Sacred Heart.
