Cranston High School East celebrated its Academic Convocation in person for the first time in two years on May 19. In attendance were Principal Sean Kelly and members of his administration, faculty and staff, along with Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse, Mayor Ken Hopkins and School Committee member Domenic Fusco. Assistant Principal Kaitlin Hitchings was the emcee for the evening’s event. The Cranston East JROTC Honor Guard and Color Guard presented the colors.

During the event, students were recognized for departmental awards, for receipt of the Seal of Biliteracy and for their induction into the National Honor Society, Rhode Island Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and Thunderbolt Honor Roll. Additionally, the Class of 2022 Salutatorian and Valedictorian were both announced and honored that evening.

Kelly shared that the Academic Convocation was his favorite event, outside of graduation, and he commended students on their performance over the past two years, noting that they were evidence of the true spirit of Thunderbolt Pride.

“These awards and scholarships are your just rewards,” said Kelly. “You are our best and finest. Let me be the first to say great job and congratulations.”

Kelly asked students to stand and be recognized, emphasizing that despite such trying times, they have been accepted at some of the finest institutions in the country and are in receipt of more than $300,000 in scholarships that evening as well as more than $1 million dollars in additional scholarships and merit aid. More than 50 scholarships were awarded that evening.

Hopkins brought greetings from the City of Cranston and awarded Isabella Hartson the Mayor’s Scholarship. He encouraged students to recognize the tradition that exists at Cranston High School East and to hold themselves to the highest standards of excellence as they have in high school so that they will continue to excel in their careers.

As Nota-Masse spoke to students, she offered her gratitude for their hard work and dedication to their studies. She acknowledged how difficult the past two years of school have been for them and told them that the evening was a bittersweet one, as she’d seen so many of them throughout the past seven years as they’ve celebrated other events, played in concerts and in theatrical productions. She reminded the students to express their thanks and gratitude to those who were giving them scholarships that evening and to use the opportunities that lie ahead of them for good.

“Use the opportunity that they are giving you to make the world a better place because we need that from you,” Nota-Masse said.

She awarded Danisha Smith with the Superintendent’s Scholarship that evening.

School committee member Domenic Fusco told students that whenever their own parents have told their children stories of when they were younger and had to walk uphill in the snow, they now had their own stories to tell of surviving a pandemic. He advised them to be sure to take risks and to have no regrets.

In total, 134 students were acknowledged with the Thunderbolt Honor Roll, 137 were inducted into the RI Honor Society, 52 into the National Honor Society, 10 into the National Art Honor Society, three received the NHS Spirit of Excellence Award and nine were recognized with the Seal of Biliteracy which celebrates students who have multilingual competence. Additionally, Alexis Sousa was recognized for her Regional Honorable Mention Award in Drawing & Illustration.

At the end of the ceremony, Mathilda Corcoran was recognized as this year’s Class of 2022 Valedictorian and Ghassan Jomaa was recognized as this year’s Salutatorian. Kelly recognized them both with an engraved pen set along with their respective medals.

The following awards and scholarships were given out:

Departmental Awards

Outstanding Business Award: Christian Nunez; Business Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit: Abdulrahman Al-Tarazi; Excellence in English Book Award: Amy Fang, Christina Gomes; English Appreciation Book Award: Leslie Pineda Hernandez, Judd Aldwin Lizarda; Rhode Island College Book Award: Sara Sandoval, Megan A. Farrell; ELL Award: Eimy Martinez Tejada; Melania Tejada Memorial ELL Award: Mariam El Karawash; Excellence in Italian 4 Honors Award: Mathilda Corcoran; Excellence in Spanish Level 4 Honors Award: Nathan Scarborough; Excellence in Spanish Level 5 Honors Award: Sara Sandoval; Excellence in Spanish Level 5 Honors for Heritage Learners: Christina Gomes; Sons of Italy Award: Mathilda Corcoran; Melania Tejada Memorial Spanish Award: Krystell Gil Rodriguez; Melania Tejada Memorial Spanish Award: Louis Reyes; U.S. Marine Scholastic Excellence Award: Rachel Cabral; U.S. Marine Distinguished Athletic Award: Bethanie Jean-Philippe; U.S. Marine Distinguished Athletic Award: Christian Mestre; U.S. Marine Musical Excellence Award: Nathan Scarborough; American Mathematics Society Award: Michael Gonzalez; CHSE Excellence in Statistics Award: Maria Silva; MIT NEST Science Award: Mathilda Corcoran; Excellence in Music Performance Award: J’ly Khea; Excellence in Music Performance Award: Robert Miller III, Evan Starr, Rory Araby, Alexis Cayard, Bethanie Jean-Philippe; Social Studies - Excellence in History: Rachel Cabral; Social Studies - Excellence in Social Sciences: Arianna Cunha.

Scholarships

Superintendent of the Year Scholarship: Danisha Smith

Mayor Ken Hopkins Scholarship: Isabella Hartson

Paul Reed Scholarship: Michael Gonzalez

Esther Gleckman Blacher Humanitarian Award: Selena Cabral

CHSE Principal Achievement Award: Mariam El Karawash, J’ly Khea

Linda Lorenzo Scholarship: Arianna Cunha, Rachel Cabral

Walkup Scholarship: Vincent Yin

Roy Casperson Jr. Scholarship: Elliot Fisher

GFWC Cranston Community Women’s Club Scholarship: Susanna Ovsepian

Cranston East Football Coaches Award: Devin Smith

Tim Centore Memorial Scholarship: Joshua Raso

Honey Dew Donuts Scholarship: Venthai Mao

Student Council Scholarship Award: Justin Soriano

Farnum Memorial Scholarship: Selena Cabral, Djuvens Belaire, Christina Gomes, Nicolas Sena

Byron L. Holsombach Scholarship: Ghassan Jomaa

Rhonda Beth Goldstein Scholarship: Mathilda Corcoran, Mardisa Hassan, Alexis Sousa, Maria Silva

NAHS Scholarship: Alexis Sousa

Thunderbolt Alumni Association Scholarship: Byron Orellana, Jenna Lees, Bobby Miller III

Jamiel Family Scholarship: Charlot Valerio

Abbie Hoisington Memorial Scholarship: Danisha Smith

CASA Scholarship: Emily Delcarmen

Class of 2017 Scholarship: Thamia Perez

Class of 2018 Scholarship: Soliya Lach

Class of 2020 Scholarship: Kodi Brown

Class of 2021 Scholarship: Alyssa Depina

College Decision Day Honorary Scholarship: Katherine Hernandez

Meaghan McGonagle Scholarship: Jordan Bou

Meaghan McGonagle Scholarship: Bethanie Jean-Philippe

Earl Tasca Scholarship: Rachel Cabral, Ghassan Jomaa, Spencer Hill

Kristen Coutu Memorial Scholarship: Alexander Handy

Joyce Wicks Corrente Scholarship: Trinity Saab, Juan Sanchez Mercedes

Edward & Helen Sawin Award: Carlos Andrade, Jr., Dayanara Perez

Ventetuolo Family Memorial Scholarship: Nathaniel Lopes

Aramark Scholarship: Alexis Sousa

Stebbins Memorial Scholarship: Trinity Saab, Christian Mestre

Denis Cushing Memorial Scholarship: Jenna Lees, Deem Quinn, Caleb Maytum, Dante Paredes-Martinez

John B. Christy Family Scholarship: Oscar Duran

Alison Fracassa Memorial Scholarship: Samuel Gray, Mardisa Hassan

Esther and Harold Saabye Scholarship: Dashira Agramonte Diaz

Nancy Carlotti Memorial Scholarship: Sophia DelSanto

Melissa Saccoccio Memorial Scholarship: Vincent Yin, J’ly Khea

Elks Scholarship: Brandon Cordon

Cranston High School Athletics Award: Deem Quinn, Trinity Saab, Christian Mestre

Dina H. Frappier Memorial Scholarship: Vincent Yin

Cranston Teachers’ Alliance Award: Spencer Hill, Rory Araby

Retired Teachers’ Association Scholarship: Sofia Curi

Holly Charette Scholarship: Zoe Catrambone

Agnes Meade Tramonti Memorial Scholarship: Brooke Rogers, Maleia Loy, Krystell Gil Rodriguez, Amy Fang, Eimy Martinez Tejeda, Leslie Pineda Hernandez, Dante Paredes Martinez, Sidra Tobal Hamol

Manny and Mary-Ann Souza Scholarship: Shanna Parker

Cranston Veterans’ Memorial Fund Scholarship: Justin Soriano, Nevari Vargas, Christina Gomes

Bernard McLaughlin Scholarship: Spencer Hill, Susanna Ovsepian

James Weber Memorial Scholarship: Rachel Cabral

Vincent D. Morgera Memorial Scholarship: Ghassan Jomaa, Maral Zobian, Amy Fang, Soliya Lach

Beverly J. Caparco Memorial Scholarship: Christian Nunez

John Caparco Scholarship: Selene Abreu

Alice Hall Allen, Class of 1935 Scholarship: Nathan Scarborough, Maria Silva, Michael Gonzalez, Rachel Cabral

Picerne Scholarship: Christiana Vetiaque, Mariam Elkarawash, Spencer Hill, Zhuo Lei, Abdulrahman Al Tarazi, Eimy Martinez Tejada, Arianna Cunha, Christina Gomes, Sasha Sainristil, Susanna Ovsepian

Ross Scholarship: Mathilda Corcoran, Ghassan Jomaa, Rachel Cabral, Maria Silva, Nathan Scarborough, Michael Gonzalez, Amy Fang, Trinity Saab, Maral Zobian, Alexis Sousa, Soliya Lach, Charlot Valerio, Rowan Chaves, Judd Aldwin Lizarda, Thamia Perez, Alexander Handy, Robert Miller III, Anya Loy, Kenneth Diaz-Lopez, Byron Orellana

Arthur Hirst Scholarship: Mathilda Corcoran