Schools
JFK High School Bids Farewell to 321 Graduating Seniors
Families, teachers, and administrators said goodbye to the Class of 2011.
โThis is it, yo.โ
Thatโs what Anh Nguyen said she was thinking as she walked across the lawn to receive her diploma as one of ย the 321 members of ย JFK Memorial High School's graduating class of 2011. ย The seniors, their families, and faculty members gathered in the Louis M. Bartha Memorial Stadium to bid farewell to the schoolโs 49thย graduating class.
This group of seniors stood out because they were the first to emerge from a redistricting that combined students from both Fords and Iselin Middle Schools. โItโs nice to see how well the two different schools got along,โ said Vice Principal Sherry Wandras. The Class of 2011 also boasts exceptional talent and dedication as evidenced by achievements such as donating 90 pints of blood, raising $51,000 for different causes, and earning 5 perfect math and verbal SAT scores.
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To celebrate their successes and reflect on their high school journey, the graduates were honored with speeches from valedictorian Shifa Gandhi, salutatorian Pranav Badami, principal Michael Cilento, Director of Personnel Services Joanne Shafer, class president Anthony Williams, and Board of Education president Ezio Tamburello.
After the presentation of diplomas, the new graduates left the stadium with their certificates, tassels flipped to the right, and mixed emotions.
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Like Anh, some graduates were struck by the sudden close of their high school career. โItโs awesome,โ said Brian Linton. โAfter all these years, weโre graduating and celebrating with all the other seniors.โ
Not all the students expressed the same joy. Anndi Vayda said, โI thought I would be happy, but itโs also upsetting.โ Her best friend throughout all of high school, Dominika Smarz, will be attending college in Arizona next fall while she remains in Middlesex County. The two friends plan to stay in touch by โtalking on the phone, and calling each other every day,โ but ultimately Anndi hopes to follow her best friend to Arizona after two years at Middlesex County College.
While the new graduates expressed every extreme on the emotional spectrum, their families glowed with one overwhelming feeling: pride. Despite the sweltering heat, the bleachers were packed with parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins who had ventured out of the comfort of their air-conditioned homes for this special event. A few had even driven to the Iselin graduation from other counties and states. Many watched with air horns and balloons in hand and proceeded to inadvertently deafen their neighbors or smack others with balloons during the excitement.
The Evans had neither balloons nor air horns, but they did have a strong pair of lungs. All three generations of Evans jumped out of their seats and screamed as Tairon Evans was called to accept his diploma. Sending Tairon off to college โis gonna be sad, but heโs gonna be alright,โ said his grandmother. โHeโs closing one chapter of his life and opening up another.โ
For Naila Mahmood, this transition was all too familiar. Just last year, she was also at JFKโs graduation ceremony, though that time she was the one who donned robes and a cap, not her younger brother Fraz. As to which graduation she enjoyed more, she said that watching him was better.
Brian Lintonโs two older brothers, both graduates of JFK, also attended the commencement. Brian is finally joining their ranks as alumni of JFK. Seeing the youngest of his sons leave home is no problem for Brianโs father, Clinton Linton, but โfor his mom, itโs a whole different story.โ
Indeed some mothers did get a bit teary-eyed, or tried to at least. โThe heat is holding back the tears,โ said Vanessa Reino, mother of graduate Alexis Reino.
It is not only the parents who will miss these students next year; many teachers and administrators will as well. For Marina DeMarino, head of the English department, this yearโs senior class was exceptional not only in its student make-up but also in its conduct. Having seen 20 graduations in Woodbridge Township so far, she cites JFKโs as one of the smoothest ceremonies sheโs seen.
โThis group was just โwow,โโ she said. Describing the Class of 2011 as โfun,โ โnot overly dramatic,โ and โfond of their principal,โ she added that the senior class shaped the atmosphere of the school. โWhen the senior class is good, the whole school is good.โ
The adults who have watched these students grow from immature, naรฏve freshmen to well-behaved, successful graduates are confident that the Class of 2011 will continue to shine as they enter college, the military, and the workforce. Quoting Dr. Seussโ book โOh, the Places Youโll Go,โ Principal Michael Cilento told the class, โWherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.โ With the lessons they learned and the support they gained from high school, JFKโs new graduates surely will go places.
Here is the complete list of JFKโs Class of 2011 graduates:
Yiraldy
ย
Abad
Nadia
ย
Abbas
Holly
ย
Adamec
Kehinde
ย
Adeogun
Taiwo
ย
Adeogun
Ardell
ย
Aeriel
Bettina
Benice
Agbulos
Tripti
ย
Agrawal
Ashef
ย
Ahmed
Danish
ย
Ahmed
Marwa
ย
Ahmed
Mohammad
ย
Ahmed
Zobia
ย
Ahmed
Brian
ย
Alvarez
Kate
V.
Anderson
Joseph
ย
Arace
Tiffany
ย
Araujo
Ivan
ย
Arevalo
Joseph
ย
Arico
James
ย
Arnold
Summerlyn
ย
Astrom
Carlo
R.
Austria
Michael
ย
Bach
Pranav
ย
Badami
Carmina
ย
Balatbat
Leslie
ย
Balderas
Jennifer
ย
Barca
Taylor
ย
Bartolotti
Henry
ย
Basora
Stephanie
ย
Bermudez
Raj
ย
Bhavsar
Drew
ย
Brennan
Daniel
ย
Brinker
Shawn
Thomas
Brush
Malcolm
ย
Bryant
Jonathan
ย
Bucknor
Farooq
S.
Bukhari
Adam
ย
Buongiovanni
Nicholas
ย
Buongiovanni
Adrian
ย
Cabreja
Jesa
Marie
Calaor
Jonathan
ย
Candelaria
Anais
ย
Canela
Jose
ย
Cardenas
Joseph
ย
Carlucci
Walter
ย
Carmello
Safeer
ย
Chaudhry
Sanket
ย
Chauhan
Mukesh
ย
Chitoda
Jahlil
ย
Coleman
Jazzdea
ย
Collier
Timothy
ย
Conde
Mark
ย
Corrado
Nadia
ย
Crecenzio
Brendaliz
ย
Cruz
Sophie
Lee
Culton
Patrick
ย
Daniels
Gia
ย
Davis
Kristen
Lee
De Jesus
Diana
Lynn
De La Rosa
Jonathan
ย
DeLorbe
Michael
ย
DeStasio
Antonios
ย
Diotis
Erick
ย
Dizon
Michal
ย
Drozd
Andrew
ย
Dunn
Jerry
ย
Duran
Jean
Carlos
Echavarria
Brittany
ย
Egan
Tiffany
ย
Egan
Nolan
William
Emme
Mariana
ย
Escate
Emilio
ย
Escobar
Cassandra
ย
Escribano
Alberto
ย
Estevez
Anamaria
ย
Evangelou
Tairon
R.
Evans
David
ย
Exantus
Nancy
M.
Fahmy
Nicholas
ย
Farese
Ryan
ย
Farkas
Ryan
ย
Farley
Rumesah
ย
Farrukh
Jessica
ย
Fernandez
Briana
ย
Fischer
Robert
ย
Flynn
Carlos
ย
Fontanez, Jr.
Dominique
S.
Ford
Bruce
ย
Francis
Jesse
ย
Funk
Shifa
ย
Gandhi
Kimberly
ย
Garofalo
Stephanie
ย
George
Ilona
ย
Gliszczynski
Sneha
ย
Gollapalli
Kayelynn
Joy
Gonzalez
Kyle
ย
Gordon
Michael
ย
Gray
Adrienne
ย
Green
Anthony
ย
Green
Antoinette
ย
Grossi
Emily
ย
Guimaraes
Anika
ย
Gulati
Shanique
ย
Hall
Saleem
Samuel
Hans
Ottavia
ย
Harris
Blake
ย
Hart
Zachary
ย
Hazelett
Benjamin
ย
Heitmeyer
Erin
Arba
Hendricks
Cody
ย
Hewitt
Alicia
ย
Hill
Renea
ย
Homsack
Gabrielle
ย
Horvath
Michael
ย
Houghton
Kyle
Joseph
Hrustic
Muhammad
Jabranul
Huq
Tiffany
ย
Hynes
Asif
ย
Iqbal
Faizan
ย
Iqbal
Daniel
ย
Jacko
Sumedha
ย
Jani
Lukasz
ย
Jarosz
Dillon
ย
Jensen
William
ย
Jimenez
Colleen
R.
Jones
William
ย
Jones, II
Sukhpreet
ย
Kahlon
Venkata Harish K.
ย
Kajur
Nisha
ย
Kalamdani
Shivam
ย
Kashiwala
Palak
ย
Kaushal
Justyna
ย
Kawa
Nicholas
William
Kemper
Christine
ย
Khalil
Adib
Ali
Khan
Anam
ย
Khan
Farrah
ย
Khan
Mehran
ย
Khan
Verdah
ย
Khan
Waqar
ย
Khan
Brittany
ย
Klimek
Stephen
ย
Koch
Michael
ย
Kochick
Disha
ย
Kotak
Emil
ย
Kranz
Stephen
ย
Kuzma
Nicholas
ย
Lepore
Al-Haneef
Mohammed
Lewis
Conor
ย
Lewis
Bryan
ย
Li
Brian
J.
Linton
Steven
ย
Lozano
Daniel
ย
Madrigal
Kathryn
ย
Maglione
Fraz
ย
Mahmood
Muzammal
ย
Mahmood
Zeshan
ย
Mahmood
David
ย
Marrero
Megan
ย
Martinez
Sarah
ย
Masperi
Brittany
ย
Mateiro
William
ย
Mateuszczyk
Carlos
M.
Matos, Jr.
Luiz
ย
Maurina
Deneesha
ย
Maynard
Patrick
S.
McFadden
Joseph
ย
McMahon
Deny
ย
Medina
Vanessa
ย
Melbourne
Nicholas
ย
Mergel
Maria
R.
Mero
Kurt
ย
Meyers
Rachel
ย
Monteiro
Deziree
ย
Moore
Prabhjit
ย
Multani
William
ย
Murphy
Kaitlyn
ย
Murray
Vishal
ย
Nayee
Anh
ย
Nguyen
Sylvia
ย
Nwachukwu
Cynthia
Chioma
Nweme
Benjamin
ย
Oberlander
Eric
ย
Obie
Matthew
ย
O'Halloran
Kyle
ย
Osborne
Louis
ย
Paragulla
Deep
ย
Parikh
Ruchir
ย
Parikh
Hana
ย
Park
Akash
ย
Patel
Anjli
ย
Patel
Arpana
ย
Patel
Dhaivat
ย
Patel
Dhvanit
ย
Patel
Jiger
ย
Patel
Krunal
ย
Patel
Mayurbhai
ย
Patel
Miraj
ย
Patel
Mitulkumar
ย
Patel
Parth
ย
Patel
Prathma
S.
Patel
Pruthul
ย
Patel
Purvina
ย
Patel
Rishi
ย
Patel
Ruchir
ย
Patel
Rupkuwar
ย
Patel
Sagar
ย
Patel
Shaili
Kamlesh
Patel
Shama
ย
Patel
Shivani
Y.
Patel
Sweetie
ย
Patel
Tejas
ย
Patel
Udit
ย
Patel
Joshua
ย
Patron
Jessica
ย
Paulino
Monica
ย
Pekosz
Jocelyn
ย
Pena
Donald
ย
Petardi
Alison
ย
Petz
Anthony
ย
Pichalski
Lohannah
ย
Piropo
Valerie
ย
Pirrotta
Hasani
ย
Polanco
Sarah
ย
Polynice
Shweta
ย
Pradeep
Navneet
ย
Purba
Marie
ย
Quattrone
Andrea
ย
Quevedo
Amna
ย
Rahman
Ankur
ย
Rajani
Christian
ย
Ramirez
Alba
ย
Ramos
Jonathan
ย
Ramos
Morgan
ย
Reese
Alexis
ย
Reino
Jorlly
ย
Reyes
Christina
ย
Richardson
Rebecca
ย
Robbins
Daishon
Anthony
Robinson
Stephen
ย
Roca
Alejandro
ย
Romero
Kyle
ย
Ross
Leighton
Ian
Rudy
Liam
Edward
Ryan
Piotr
ย
Rzymski
Laraib
ย
Saeed
Raul
Alexander
Saltos
Akriti
ย
Saluja
Michelle
ย
Sanchez
Harvinder
ย
Sandhu
Keisha
ย
Santiago
Andrew
ย
Santos
Elisa
ย
Sapolnick
Rebecca
ย
Schmidt
Nicole
ย
Schwartz
Nicole
Ng
Seerattan
Anthony
ย
Sena
Janki
ย
Shah
Parth
ย
Shah
Purab
ย
Shah
Mahtab
ย
Shahid
Cassandra
ย
Siana
Cynthia
Rose
Silva
Charnee
ย
Simmons
Briana
ย
Sims
Akashdeep
ย
Singh
Gurpreet
ย
Singh
Kamalpreet
ย
Singh
Manjot
ย
Singh
Manjot
ย
Singh
Ramandeep
ย
Singh
Dominika
ย
Smarz
Alia
Rae
Smith
Melanie
Lynn
Snyder
Katrina
A.
Sodano
Ariana
ย
Soto
Nicholas
ย
Spoganetz
Sweta
ย
Sukhadia
Jason
ย
Sutton
Andre
R.
Sylvester
Hena
ย
Tahir
Aziz
M.
Tahzib
Tiffany
ย
Tai
Zooraze
ย
Tariq
Meaghan
ย
Teehan
Gloria
ย
Thompson
Jordan
Miroslaw
Toczynski
Favian
ย
Torain
Jaimy
ย
Torres
Anthony
ย
Tortorello
Karissa
ย
Tuason
Diana
ย
Urteaga
Cesar
ย
Vargas
Noe
ย
Vargas
Rishi
ย
Varma
Jannel
ย
Varona
Francina
M.
Vasquez Fernandez
Anndi
ย
Vayda
Debbie
Lynette
Velez
Alexandra
ย
Ventura
Kara
ย
Vigilante
Sagar
ย
Vira
Janielle
ย
Viuya
Mark
ย
Weber, Jr.
Daniel
ย
Willard
Anthony
ย
Williams
Darrin
ย
Williamson
Alex
ย
Wilson
Dinyra
ย
Wilson
Tori
ย
Witkowski
Ryan
ย
Wood
Kevin
ย
Yanes
Taylor
ย
Yanni
Jason
ย
Yee
Nicholas
ย
Yeo
Shagufta
ย
Zareen
Nida
ย
Zehra
Rachel
ย
Zetino
Courtney
ย
Zummo