Commencement of the Class of 2024
Source/Author: Raffi Darrow, Ebytes Editor
May 23, 2024
On Saturday, May 18, 2024, Shorecrest Preparatory School held its Commencement ceremony for the 68 members of the Class of 2024. Among the graduating class were 16 Lifers who attended Shorecrest for 12 years or longer, 6 students recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, 7 student-athletes committed to play at the college level, and Thespians acknowledged by the Broadway Star of the Future Awards. A quarter of the Class of 2024 took advantage of only-at-Shorecrest opportunities to personalize their learning through signature programs including the Global Scholars Initiative, STEAM Signature Program, or student-created independent studies.
The diversity of the graduating Class of 2024 is reflected in their choices of colleges and universities. Shorecrest seniors will matriculate at Ivy League schools, small liberal arts colleges, large state universities, private universities and schools abroad. Shorecrest will also be represented at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Seniors earned competitive and financially generous scholarships for their many talents and accomplishments, including the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill.
A packed Janet Root Theatre watched as Trustees, Faculty and the Class of 2024 processed to their places on stage. The ceremony began when Head of School, Nancy Spencer, introduced the first class to graduate in the second century of Shorecrest.
"Each member of this class - all 68 individuals - displays the curiosity and confidence to be leaders in our world today," Ms. Spencer shared. "The involvement and learning that has been displayed by these seniors defines what it means to be a successful Shorecrest graduate. Class of 2024, your many varied accomplishments reflect the talent and highlight the hard work you have devoted during every step to graduation. Along the way you have served as role models for the rest of the student body. For that, and for your leadership, we thank you."
Salutatorian Reanna Hossain '24 welcomed guests and reflected on her grade's empathy. "I could not have asked for a better group of people to spend the last four years with. ... No matter what I feel, I am never alone. ... Whether it be sad from a bad grade, or ecstatic during Homecoming week, or confused on how to feel - like in this moment right now, my grade, or more accurately my friends, have been there to feel it with me."
Reanna’s welcome was followed by Erich Schneider, Head of Upper School, who recognized the 16 students from the Class of 2024 who are Shorecrest “Lifers,” and attended Shorecrest for 12 years or more.
Sonoma Kasica '24, four-time Florida State Champion in javelin throwing and an integral member of the soccer team, was selected by her classmates to speak at Commencement.
"I hope we each take a moment to look at the person next to us and congratulate them," she said. "This is our accomplishment. We have spent numerous hours together complaining, laughing, crying, and feeling all the feelings that high school has brought us. As we say our final goodbyes we leave behind a memory that will go on for many years to come. A memory of wining Powder Puff Football four year in a row, and also having maybe some of the worst Powder Puff cheer performances of all time."
Kayla Brazee, Shorecrest Upper School Social Studies Department Chair, was invited to speak by the Class of 2024. She shared a Top 10 List for the "iconic" class about experiencing new things, learning from mistakes, enjoying great music, and more. She wrapped up with, "Keep in touch with the people who care about you and the places that have brought you joy. In short, please come and visit us at Shorecrest, we're going to miss your tremendously."
The second voted student speaker was Annabella Rozin '24, who joined the class in tenth grade. She compared the people she had spent time with at Shorecrest the past three years to vibrant and cohesive puzzle pieces, completing images and memories she will carry in her mind.
It is a tradition at Shorecrest Commencement to name an Outstanding Senior. This member of the graduating class returns in ten years to speak at Commencement. Mr. Schneider named Addie Oman the Outstanding Senior of the Class of 2024.
"Addie personifies Shorecrest's Mission by embodying personal and academic excellence, physical well-being, creative achievement, and commitment to social responsibility. As another faculty member expressed, she is the essence of good citizenship, inspiring others, and leading by example. She makes the hallways of Shorecrest feel like home to all because they navigate all peers, regardless of age or social group, with genuine kindness and compassion."
(On Monday, Addie came back to campus to have a photo taken with the second graders to whom she will speak in 10 years at their Commencement. It was an extra special moment, because her mom teaches second grade at Shorecrest!)
Ann Marie Hardy, Dean of Student Life, introduced Skyler Ellenberg, the Outstanding Senior from the Class of 2014 who returned 10 years later to give a Commencement Address. Skyler started Shorecrest at the age of three, and made her mark through mathematics, soccer, and leadership. In the 10 years since graduating from Shorecrest, she studied computer science while playing soccer at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and then returned to St. Petersburg to work in technology while coaching the Shorecrest Chargers varsity girls soccer team. She also interacts with Shorecrest students through her volunteer mentorship with HOBY. Skyler recently moved to Kansas with her husband, where she works remotely for KPMG and continues to play soccer and volunteer.
Skyler encouraged the seniors to reflect on what they are known for at Shorecrest and the passions they discovered as Chargers, and to lean into those things when venturing into the unknown in the coming months.
"You all should be so proud of who you have become here at Shorecrest and how that equips you for that next chapter. I'm so grateful to have graduated from this outstanding school, and so excited to find how you'll use your already established strengths and passions to succeed in these new adventures as you extend beyond your comfort zone."
The Valedictory Address was given by Alexandra “Sasha” Schratwieser '24. She reminded her classmates what they learned during the pandemic - that it is in the face of uncertainty that resilience emerges. "We've navigated online learning, weathered the occasional hurricane, applied to colleges, struggled with rejection and even battled the dreaded senioritis. But with each obstacle that appeared in our paths we've learned, adapted and emerged stronger than before. ... Our journeys will diverge from this point, leading us to new adventures, challenges, and opportunities. But within each of us lies the potential to make a meaningful impact."
Mr. Schneider and Ms. Spencer awarded diplomas along with Chair of the Board of Trustees, Will Conroy, while Kara Earle Daley ’05, President of the Shorecrest Alumni Association, gave alumni pins to each graduate. The community connections for this class are strengthened with members having relatives who attended Shorecrest, have served on the Board of Trustees, or who are faculty members. Those family members hugged their graduates as they crossed the stage. According to Shorecrest tradition, diplomas are awarded in random order, symbolizing the unexpected joys and challenges of life. The final member of the class to receive a diploma was Luke Heckert, who then donned the golden mortarboard, a sign of good luck for the coming year.
The ceremony concluded with remarks from lifer Felix “Daven” Fudge, President of Student Council. "As your class President," he noted, "I've had the incredible privilege of witnessing firsthand the resilience, determination, and sheer greatness of each and every one of you. From the early morning homecoming practices to the last-minute study sessions, whether for athletics or academics, we've been through it all together. I couldn't be more proud of what we've accomplished as a class."
Commencement ended with a ceremonial cap toss; the Class of 2024 released their mortarboards in the air together for one last moment of bonding.
Good luck to our newest alumni, the Shorecrest Class of 2024!
View a video of the ceremony and read more about the Class of 2024: www.shorecrest.org/2024
