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Ranney School Graduates Students Committed to Citizenship & Creativity

Ranney School’s 82-member Class of 2017 celebrated its commencement at the Collins Arena in Lincroft, New Jersey, on May 25. Thirty-one of the seniors, known as “Ranney Lifers,” had attended the school for 10 or more years. Next fall, the entire group will head off to attend some of the most prestigious colleges and universities across the country, including Columbia, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, and Notre Dame, where they will pursue their individual passions and interests in fields ranging from the visual arts and theatrical production to finance, law, and medicine to robotics and information technology.

“Use your passions to further the world,” advised Valedictorian Jillian Ross of Rumson in her commencement speech to her peers. “As you engage in introspection this summer, think about how you will leave your mark on the world…. A worthy life is one that makes you happy and beneficially touches the lives of others.” Jillian served as Student Council President and will attend Columbia University.
 
Added Salutatorian Liam Fitzmaurice of Spring Lake, “I arrived at Ranney in the 3rd grade, and the wonderful classmates and companions who welcomed me into the Ranney community from day one are the same outstanding young men and women you see before you today. I could not have wished for a better family away from home.” Liam was recently honored as a Scholar Athlete by NJSIAA and will attend Fordham University.
 
The 53rd Commencement Ceremony was led by Upper School Head Katie Gibson, Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Brian Torpey, and Head of School Dr. John W. Griffith.
 
“All of you graduating today have unique stories,” Dr. Griffith told the graduates. “The paths that led through your time at Ranney are not the same….All around you, today, there are family and friends; parents who worked hard to provide for you, and support you, and open doors for you.” In past years, Dr. Griffith has written a Seuss-inspired poem for the graduating class. After some initial remarks, he presented a unique farewell model to the graduates this year – a spoken word-song to the tune of Hamilton the musical, which was a hit not only on Broadway this past year but also among the class; he received a standing ovation from the crowd afterward.
 
Another highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of awards, including:
 
  • The Headmaster’s Cup: Charles Fabricant
  • The Gershom Tomlinson Humanitarian Award: Olivia Castello
  • The Faculty Prize: Jillian Ross and Grant Barthlemes
  • The Ann Kappel Citizenship and Service Award: Ben Iglesia
  • The Margaret M. Mahon Award: Ashley Biswal
  • The Robert Paulus Leadership and Perseverance Award: Victor Chu and Craig Callahan
  • The Lawrence S. Sykoff Award: Rebekah Lo and Liam Fitzmaurice
  • The Ranney School Leadership Award: Aiden Denver-Moore.
 
A Ranney tradition, the seniors presented the school with a class gift earlier in the week. This year’s gift, a check for $7,220, will go toward renovations being made to the campus athletic facility and toward the Angel Fund for ALS Research in honor of a Ranney family affected by the disease.
 
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society. 

We envision Ranney School as a nurturing learning community, in which families, faculty, alumni, and all of Ranney’s constituents collaborate to know and value every child, foster individual talents, sustain powerful connections between children and adults, and graduate resilient, globally-minded citizens.