DANVERS — St. John’s Preparatory School held its 114th commencement exercises Saturday morning as Head of School Edward P. Hardiman conferred diplomas upon 268 seniors during an outdoor ceremony at school’s campus.
The gathering struck a chord of resilience as the graduates began high school at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the Class of 2024 were a dozen Cape Ann graduates: National Honor Society members Connor Robert Burke and Callahan Brody White along with Ryan Matthew DeSouza, a captain on the Prep’s Division 1 Dual Meet championship team, all of Gloucester; Luc Peter Bannerman and Carson Armstrong Berglund, both of Rockport; Brendan Patrick Burke, Henry Andrew Coote, Jameson Richard Curran, Cooper Blaine Davis, Benjamin Robert Foley and John Jefferys Morton Jr., all of Manchester-by-the-Sea; and William F.
Kuhl of Essex. A theme emerged during the 2-hour ceremony regarding the Class of 2024’s unique lived experience and how passing through that crucible has endowed graduates with great responsibility. The Class of 2024 began as masked and distanced freshmen in 2020, unable to participate in the first-day campus procession which should have served as a bookend for the one Saturday that closed their Prep experience.
Senior Class Speaker was Graham Kramer of Marblehead, who preceded a valedictory address by David Kane, also of Marblehead. The Salutatorian Medal went to Aidan Miller of Boxford. Alejandro A.
Baez Tejeda of Methuen received the Xaverian .