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Center Ridge High School celebrates Class of 2025 at Middle Country ceremony
Summary
Center Ridge High School held a commencement ceremony under the Middle Country Central School District that honored graduates, student leaders and military enlistees; salutatorian and valedictorian named headed to Binghamton University and University of Pennsylvania, respectively.
Center Ridge High School’s Class of 2025 held a commencement ceremony hosted by the Middle Country Central School District; the exact date of the ceremony was not specified in the transcript.
The ceremony featured remarks from Danielle Rapasarda, assistant principal, senior class leaders, the class salutatorian and valedictorian, and members of the district Board of Education. Rapasarda opened the event by welcoming students, families and faculty, saying, “Please be seated. Good evening, CHS students, families, faculty, and friends.”
The event recognized 11 seniors who have chosen to enlist in the U.S. military; the transcript lists the students by name but does not specify which branch each will join beyond references to the Navy, Marines or Army. Senior class president Matthew Suitsibali addressed the graduates and cited a College Board statistic to frame the class’s achievements, saying, “It is an absolute honor and privilege to be able to speak in front of you all this evening.” He also noted the class’s community service and fundraising work, including an Adopt-A-Child gift drive and an annual food drive; Suitsibali singled out a class contribution of about 32 boxes of canned food donated with help from the Long Island Little Dragon Chinese School.
Benjamin Tasiak, introduced as the class salutatorian, told the audience he will attend Binghamton University. Tasiak read from a letter he had written to his younger self and urged classmates to persist through setbacks, saying mistakes "are not roadblocks. They're reminders." Valedictorian Sean Edbert said the honor was shared with the people who supported him and urged graduates to "turn the page" with courage and purpose, concluding with a quotation he attributed to Dr. Seuss: "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Edbert was introduced as bound for the University of Pennsylvania.
The district acknowledged a student, Noen Giambrone, who was unable to attend; the Middle Country Central School District pulled his name first for his diploma to honor and recognize him, and the transcript records the district’s wish for his speedy recovery. The ceremony also included formal recognitions of staff and volunteers: senior class adviser Shelby Petruzzo received repeated public thanks from students and district staff for her work with the class, and graduation directors (identified in the transcript as Byers and Duryea) were thanked for organizing the event.
Denise Haggerty, a member of the Middle Country Board of Education, formally addressed the graduates on behalf of the board and noted that each student had met New York State graduation requirements. The ceremony concluded with the traditional turning of tassels.
There were no recorded votes, motions or formal district actions related to policy or budgeting during the portion of the transcript provided; the recording focused on speeches, recognitions and the presentation of diplomas.
