The Valley Catholic June 19, 2018 | Page 26

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CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Bellarmine College Preparatory 2018 Graduation Summary

June 19 , 2018 | The Valley Catholic
Bellarmine College Preparatory held its commencement ceremony the morning of May 26 . The graduation of 418 seniors followed a Baccalaureate Mass held the evening of May 24 , with both events taking place on the San Jose campus of the school that has been educating young men in the Catholic Jesuit tradition since 1851 .
The following are major award recipients :
Cardinal Bellarmine Award : Vince Feliciano
Named for the patron of our school , Saint Robert Bellarmine , it is the highest award that our school gives at commencement and is presented to that student who has personally incorporated the school ’ s values of faith , service , leadership , and a passion for justice in every area of contribution to the school ’ s life .
Valedictory Award : Emmanuel Ngbemeneh
Given to that student who has achieved academic success , demonstrated leadership qualities , and has the ability to express the values of the school and the spirit of the class at commencement .
Salutatory Award : Jonathan Hale
Presented to that student whose contributions to Bellarmine ’ s graduating class has been visible and manifold . He has represented the life and spirit of the class through his Christian values and personal integrity .
Ignatius Loyola Award : Michael Masri , Mateo Solis Prada
Named for the 16 th century founder of the Society of Jesus and presented to those students who have internalized their Christian faith and given overwhelming evidence of their relationship with God .
Pedro Arrupe Service Award : Neerav Gade
Named after the 28 th General Superior of the Society of Jesus . It is presented to that student who has worked generously and effectively to translate into action our school ’ s commitment
to the creation of a society more Godly and just , both locally and globally .
Jesuit Schools Network Award : Andrew Song
Presented to that student who is well-rounded , intellectually competent , open to growth , religious , loving , and committed to doing justice in generous service to the people of God .
Rob Suarez Memorial Award : Michael Alloggiamento
Honoing that student who raised our spirits when we have needed it most , bringing hope in the midst of daily struggles . This student represents the often unnoticed acts of compassion in our community .
Bellarmine Spirit Award : Jared Bush , Vincent Saglimbeni
Presented to those students who
embrace our school ’ s philosophy of vision , leadership , and service within the broad spectrum of Bellarmine ’ s co-curricular activities .
Matteo Ricci Award : Brett Allen , Joel Bartlett , Omar Battisha , Meika Beaudoin Rousseau , Wesley Thomas Clark , William Healzer , Alexander Knapen , Jeffrey Ma , Pratyush Sridhar , Nathan Yates .
Named after the 16 th century Jesuit missionary who truly embodied the Jesuit ideal of finding God in all things . This award is presented to those students who have contributed significantly to life in and out of the classroom . They have made lasting contributions to Bellarmine ’ s broad spectrum of co-curricular activities and their engagement in the academic program has been outstanding .
On June 2 , Notre Dame High School celebrated its 167 th commencement as the Class of 2018 Purple and Yellow Dragons accepted their diplomas at the historic California Theater in downtown San Jose . Among the 165 graduates were 34 who earned Highest Academic Honors , having maintained a minimum 4.45 GPA and taken a minimum of 7 Honors and AP classes over their four years of high school .
Among those , Sapna Ramappa was chosen to deliver the valedictory address . Sapna also received the Principal ’ s Leadership Award , awarded to a student who has committed herself to leadership throughout her high school year .
Sapna served as ASB president this year . For her senior project she partnered with agencies in India to study and combat issues of health and hygiene surrounding anemia in adolescents . Her four step plan addressed prevention , diagnosis , treatment and community awareness . In her commencement speech , she encouraged her classmates to move forward boldly .
“ I see among us engineers , researchers , athletes , doctors , fashion icons , leaders , artists , teachers , musicians ,

Notre Dame High School Celebrates 167 th Graduation

Ana Giubileo
wordsmiths , and activists . We have pledged ourselves to becoming lifelong learners and justice seekers . We have pledged to become – and we have already become – women of impact .” Sapna will head to UCLA to study neuroscience in the fall .
The Julie Billiart Award is the most prestigious non-academic award given at Notre Dame High School . The recipient is chosen by her classmates for her compassion , caring , service , respect
Spana Ramappa
and love of her community .
This year ’ s recipient , Anna Giubileo , will head to Case Western Reserve University to study psychology in the fall .
In her salutatory address , Anna said , “ The first hallmark taught to us by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur says “ We proclaim by our lives even more than our words that God is Good .” Now , I see God not as this detached being far away , but as the people around me . Each and every one of you is an example of how God is present , and in all of your goodness you live lives that exemplify that sentiment to the fullest .”
Notre Dame ’ s Margaret Hoffman , SND , Woman of Service Award , Notre Dame ’ s most prestigious non-academic award , was presented to Sarah Babar in recognition of the compassion and caring she has shown her classmates throughout her four years of high school . Sarah will be attending the University of San Diego in the fall .
“ Notre Dame has made me a compassionate and empathetic woman who is active in the community and wants to make a positive impact on the world ,” said Babar . “ The University of San Diego prides itself in creating “ change makers ,” which I feel I have already started at Notre Dame . I will be pursuing the pre-medical track and look forward to serving the community .”
For more information regarding Catholic Schools in the Diocese of San Jose , visit www . dsj . org / schools .