With the school year coming to a close, Cranston High School East’s class of 2019 was celebrated during the annual academic convocation ceremony on May 16.

Following the processional of stage guests and students, senior Dylan April performed the national anthem.

Acting as emcee for the evening was Assistant Principal Joe Potemri, who remarked on the size of the audience.

“We have never had this size crowd in the 11 years I’ve been here. And that is simply because of the quality of students being recognized tonight,” he said.

Principal Sean Kelly provided opening remarks.

“I started at Cranston East 13 years ago, when you were starting kindergarten. I feel as if I am graduating with you,” he said.

Kelly praised the students for their academic achievements and their leadership.

“You’ve all worked hard to get where you are. When I look at you, I truly see a group of well-rounded individuals. You carry with you the weight of the previous graduates of Cranston High School and Cranston High School East and setting the stage for those graduates yet to come over the next 100 years,” he said.

In total, the students have been awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships and over $1 million in financial aid.

Kelly acknowledged the students as the best and brightest the school has to offer, and had them stand as a group for a round of applause to be recognized for all their hard over the past 13 years.

“You have met and, in most cases, exceeded my expectations. It has been and will continue to be my pleasure to be your principal, at the greatest high school in Rhode Island. Enjoy the night, you’ve earned it,” he said.

Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse also addressed the students, along with their loved ones and friends. She thanked the parents, families, faculty and staff for the help, support and guidance they have provided over the years.

“I’m talking directly to the students right now. I feel the pride that you feel tonight. You don’t understand how proud they are of you. You don’t understand how happy they are to see all of you and your tremendous accomplishments and to be here tonight to honor you is probably the highlight of their year,” she said.

Mayor Allan Fung spoke next.

“What’s so special about tonight is it is a celebration … I’ve watched you excel in these hallways, on the athletic fields, in music competitions. It shows we are doing our best to make sure [students] are ready to go into the world,” he said.

School Committee member Stephanie Culhane was the last speaker.

“Looking at all of your hard work and accomplishments, it really is fantastic to celebrate this day. But the cold truth is you will face ups and downs, you will succeed, but you will also inevitably fail at some point on this journey we call life. You must embrace the lessons that both success and failure can give,” she said.

The awards were broken down into three categories – academic honors, academic excellence and presentation of scholarships.

The first award given out was induction into the Cranston East Thunderbolt Honor Roll.

“Since 1998, students who have been on the honor roll for the first three quarters of their senior year qualify for this award. This year, 126 students, or almost one third of the class, have reached this goal,” Potemri said.

The 49 students with grade point averages of 3.25 or higher they received blue tassel cords, a pin and a certificate inducting them into the Rhode Island Honor Society.

Gold honor cords, pins and certificates were presented to 67 students for their Presidential Achievement award of Excellence for the National Honor Society.

This year, four students were given special awards for competing more than 50 hours of community service for their National Honor Society requirement.

Potemri then went on to introduce Lia Dietrich as salutatorian for the class of 2019. Dietrich will attend Connecticut College in the fall.

“She has excelled in each and every course she has taken, and has made the highest honor roll each quarter. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the National Art Honor Society, Cranston East Science Club and Cranston East Green Club. She has received an honorable mention for the Scholastic Art Award and had an accepted piece in the Cranston City-wide Visual Arts Festival,” Potemri said.

Potemri also announced Emma Boucher as this year’s valedictorian. She will attend McGill University in Montreal this fall to purse a degree in political science.

“She has pursued academic excellence, and in doing so has earned a GPA of above a 5.0. She is a member of the National Honor Society. She was awarded the 2018 Rhode Island Civic Leadership Award, the Harvard Book Award and the Pell Medal for United States history,” Potemri said. “Our valedictorian plays cello in the position of first chair in the Cranston East Orchestra. She has been awarded the Cranston East Orchestra Leadership Award and she is a member of both Rhode Island Junior and Senior All State Orchestra. She is a self-proclaimed activist and organized student participation in last year’s ‘March for our Lives.’ She has testified in front of the Rhode Island House Finance Committee at the State House in support of the ‘Fix Our Schools’ initiative and school bond, which was voted on and passed through statewide voting in the November election.”

Three students received the perfect attendance award, recognizing the fact that they did not miss a single day of school over their four years at Cranston East. Those students are Sama Abbas, Monaye Hinds and Nathan Kong.

Students were recognized in different areas of study, including art, business, English, math, music, science, social studies and world languages.

Scholarships and awards were provided by in-house sponsors, community organizations and in memory of former Cranston East alumni.

One of the largest scholarships of the night came from the Picerne family.

“The Picerne Family Scholarship is awarded to Cranston High School East graduating seniors who have demonstrated civic leadership, community service and are true ‘overachievers.’ This scholarship is meant for deserving students who are pursuing a dream, but, without this support, just many not have the chance,” Potemri said.

Representing the Picerne Family Scholarship, Robert McGreen presented 16 $10,000 scholarships to the following students: Sama Abbas, Natalia Alfonso, Julie Chen, Emerson Gomez, Griffin Hill, Amy Jiminez, Makayla Justa, Yingqi (Kailey) Lei, Aileen Membreno, Serena Mora, Sarah Murphy, Angella Nakasagga, Dathan Paradis, Samantha Schleifer, Noraneath Than and Brianna Williams.