JFK High School Bids Farewell to 321 Graduating Seniors

“This is it, yo.”

That’s what Anh Nguyen said she was thinking as she walked across the lawn to receive her diploma as one of  the 321 members of  JFK Memorial High School's graduating class of 2011.  The seniors, their families, and faculty members gathered in the Louis M. Bartha Memorial Stadium to bid farewell to the school’s 49th 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. “It’s nice to see how well the two different schools got along,” 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.

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.

Like Anh, some graduates were struck by the sudden close of their high school career. “It’s awesome,” said Brian Linton. “After all these years, we’re graduating and celebrating with all the other seniors.”

Not all the students expressed the same joy. Anndi Vayda said, “I thought I would be happy, but it’s also upsetting.” 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 “talking on the phone, and calling each other every day,” 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 “is gonna be sad, but he’s gonna be alright,” said his grandmother. “He’s closing one chapter of his life and opening up another.”

For Naila Mahmood, this transition was all too familiar. Just last year, she was also at JFK’s 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 Linton’s 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 Brian’s father, Clinton Linton, but “for his mom, it’s a whole different story.”

Indeed some mothers did get a bit teary-eyed, or tried to at least. “The heat is holding back the tears,” 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 year’s 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 JFK’s as one of the smoothest ceremonies she’s seen.

“This group was just ‘wow,’” she said. Describing the Class of 2011 as “fun,” “not overly dramatic,” and “fond of their principal,” she added that the senior class shaped the atmosphere of the school. “When the senior class is good, the whole school is good.”

The adults who have watched these students grow from immature, naïve 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. Seuss’ book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” Principal Michael Cilento told the class, “Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.” With the lessons they learned and the support they gained from high school, JFK’s new graduates surely will go places.

Here is the complete list of JFK’s Class of 2011 graduates:

Yiraldy

Abad

Nadia

Abbas

Holly

Adamec

Kehinde

Adeogun

Taiwo

Adeogun

Ardell

Aeriel

Bettina

Benice

Agbulos

Tripti

Agrawal

Ashef

Ahmed

Danish

Ahmed

Marwa

Ahmed

Mohammad

Ahmed

Zobia

Ahmed

Brian

Alvarez

Kate

V.

Anderson

Joseph

Arace

Tiffany

Araujo

Ivan

Arevalo

Joseph

Arico

James

Arnold

Summerlyn

Astrom

Carlo

R.

Austria

Michael

Bach

Pranav

Badami

Carmina

Balatbat

Leslie

Balderas

Jennifer

Barca

Taylor

Bartolotti

Henry

Basora

Stephanie

Bermudez

Raj

Bhavsar

Drew

Brennan

Daniel

Brinker

Shawn

Thomas

Brush

Malcolm

Bryant

Jonathan

Bucknor

Farooq

S.

Bukhari

Adam

Buongiovanni

Nicholas

Buongiovanni

Adrian

Cabreja

Jesa

Marie

Calaor

Jonathan

Candelaria

Anais

Canela

Jose

Cardenas

Joseph

Carlucci

Walter

Carmello

Safeer

Chaudhry

Sanket

Chauhan

Mukesh

Chitoda

Jahlil

Coleman

Jazzdea

Collier

Timothy

Conde

Mark

Corrado

Nadia

Crecenzio

Brendaliz

Cruz

Sophie

Lee

Culton

Patrick

Daniels

Gia

Davis

Kristen

Lee

De Jesus

Diana

Lynn

De La Rosa

Jonathan

DeLorbe

Michael

DeStasio

Antonios

Diotis

Erick

Dizon

Michal

Drozd

Andrew

Dunn

Jerry

Duran

Jean

Carlos

Echavarria

Brittany

Egan

Tiffany

Egan

Nolan

William

Emme

Mariana

Escate

Emilio

Escobar

Cassandra

Escribano

Alberto

Estevez

Anamaria

Evangelou

Tairon

R.

Evans

David

Exantus

Nancy

M.

Fahmy

Nicholas

Farese

Ryan

Farkas

Ryan

Farley

Rumesah

Farrukh

Jessica

Fernandez

Briana

Fischer

Robert

Flynn

Carlos

Fontanez, Jr.

Dominique

S.

Ford

Bruce

Francis

Jesse

Funk

Shifa

Gandhi

Kimberly

Garofalo

Stephanie

George

Ilona

Gliszczynski

Sneha

Gollapalli

Kayelynn

Joy

Gonzalez

Kyle

Gordon

Michael

Gray

Adrienne

Green

Anthony

Green

Antoinette

Grossi

Emily

Guimaraes

Anika

Gulati

Shanique

Hall

Saleem

Samuel

Hans

Ottavia

Harris

Blake

Hart

Zachary

Hazelett

Benjamin

Heitmeyer

Erin

Arba

Hendricks

Cody

Hewitt

Alicia

Hill

Renea

Homsack

Gabrielle

Horvath

Michael

Houghton

Kyle

Joseph

Hrustic

Muhammad

Jabranul

Huq

Tiffany

Hynes

Asif

Iqbal

Faizan

Iqbal

Daniel

Jacko

Sumedha

Jani

Lukasz

Jarosz

Dillon

Jensen

William

Jimenez

Colleen

R.

Jones

William

Jones, II

Sukhpreet

Kahlon

Venkata Harish K.

Kajur

Nisha

Kalamdani

Shivam

Kashiwala

Palak

Kaushal

Justyna

Kawa

Nicholas

William

Kemper

Christine

Khalil

Adib

Ali

Khan

Anam

Khan

Farrah

Khan

Mehran

Khan

Verdah

Khan

Waqar

Khan

Brittany

Klimek

Stephen

Koch

Michael

Kochick

Disha

Kotak

Emil

Kranz

Stephen

Kuzma

Nicholas

Lepore

Al-Haneef

Mohammed

Lewis

Conor

Lewis

Bryan

Li

Brian

J.

Linton

Steven

Lozano

Daniel

Madrigal

Kathryn

Maglione

Fraz

Mahmood

Muzammal

Mahmood

Zeshan

Mahmood

David

Marrero

Megan

Martinez

Sarah

Masperi

Brittany

Mateiro

William

Mateuszczyk

Carlos

M.

Matos, Jr.

Luiz

Maurina

Deneesha

Maynard

Patrick

S.

McFadden

Joseph

McMahon

Deny

Medina

Vanessa

Melbourne

Nicholas

Mergel

Maria

R.

Mero

Kurt

Meyers

Rachel

Monteiro

Deziree

Moore

Prabhjit

Multani

William

Murphy

Kaitlyn

Murray

Vishal

Nayee

Anh

Nguyen

Sylvia

Nwachukwu

Cynthia

Chioma

Nweme

Benjamin

Oberlander

Eric

Obie

Matthew

O'Halloran

Kyle

Osborne

Louis

Paragulla

Deep

Parikh

Ruchir

Parikh

Hana

Park

Akash

Patel

Anjli

Patel

Arpana

Patel

Dhaivat

Patel

Dhvanit

Patel

Jiger

Patel

Krunal

Patel

Mayurbhai

Patel

Miraj

Patel

Mitulkumar

Patel

Parth

Patel

Prathma

S.

Patel

Pruthul

Patel

Purvina

Patel

Rishi

Patel

Ruchir

Patel

Rupkuwar

Patel

Sagar

Patel

Shaili

Kamlesh

Patel

Shama

Patel

Shivani

Y.

Patel

Sweetie

Patel

Tejas

Patel

Udit

Patel

Joshua

Patron

Jessica

Paulino

Monica

Pekosz

Jocelyn

Pena

Donald

Petardi

Alison

Petz

Anthony

Pichalski

Lohannah

Piropo

Valerie

Pirrotta

Hasani

Polanco

Sarah

Polynice

Shweta

Pradeep

Navneet

Purba

Marie

Quattrone

Andrea

Quevedo

Amna

Rahman

Ankur

Rajani

Christian

Ramirez

Alba

Ramos

Jonathan

Ramos

Morgan

Reese

Alexis

Reino

Jorlly

Reyes

Christina

Richardson

Rebecca

Robbins

Daishon

Anthony

Robinson

Stephen

Roca

Alejandro

Romero

Kyle

Ross

Leighton

Ian

Rudy

Liam

Edward

Ryan

Piotr

Rzymski

Laraib

Saeed

Raul

Alexander

Saltos

Akriti

Saluja

Michelle

Sanchez

Harvinder

Sandhu

Keisha

Santiago

Andrew

Santos

Elisa

Sapolnick

Rebecca

Schmidt

Nicole

Schwartz

Nicole

Ng

Seerattan

Anthony

Sena

Janki

Shah

Parth

Shah

Purab

Shah

Mahtab

Shahid

Cassandra

Siana

Cynthia

Rose

Silva

Charnee

Simmons

Briana

Sims

Akashdeep

Singh

Gurpreet

Singh

Kamalpreet

Singh

Manjot

Singh

Manjot

Singh

Ramandeep

Singh

Dominika

Smarz

Alia

Rae

Smith

Melanie

Lynn

Snyder

Katrina

A.

Sodano

Ariana

Soto

Nicholas

Spoganetz

Sweta

Sukhadia

Jason

Sutton

Andre

R.

Sylvester

Hena

Tahir

Aziz

M.

Tahzib

Tiffany

Tai

Zooraze

Tariq

Meaghan

Teehan

Gloria

Thompson

Jordan

Miroslaw

Toczynski

Favian

Torain

Jaimy

Torres

Anthony

Tortorello

Karissa

Tuason

Diana

Urteaga

Cesar

Vargas

Noe

Vargas

Rishi

Varma

Jannel

Varona

Francina

M.

Vasquez Fernandez

Anndi

Vayda

Debbie

Lynette

Velez

Alexandra

Ventura

Kara

Vigilante

Sagar

Vira

Janielle

Viuya

Mark

Weber, Jr.

Daniel

Willard

Anthony

Williams

Darrin

Williamson

Alex

Wilson

Dinyra

Wilson

Tori

Witkowski

Ryan

Wood

Kevin

Yanes

Taylor

Yanni

Jason

Yee

Nicholas

Yeo

Shagufta

Zareen

Nida

Zehra

Rachel

Zetino

Courtney

Zummo