June 1, 2019

St. Mary High School Class of 2019 graduates with high hopes for the future

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Nick Morganelli

Pictured (left to right) are St. Mary High School 2019 graduates Joseph Walz, valedictorian; Emily Burke; and Aaron Blanchard, salutatorian.

WESTFIELD — As the month of May closed, St. Mary High School in Westfield graduated the class of 2019 at a Mass celebrated by Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski. Father John Salatino, administrator of St. Mary Parish, concelebrated. 

Greetings at the commencement liturgy were given by Brian Sullivan, mayor of Westfield, and the principal of St. Mary High School, Matthew Collins. Deacons Pedro Rivera Moran and Paul Federici assisted at the altar.

The Class of 2019 may have had to graduate somewhere else after the announcement last year that St. Mary’s would be closing in 2018. After much community support, fundraising, and a grant from the Springfield Diocese, the high school has remained open on a conditional basis.

Principal Matthew Collins, who championed the cause, said, “We were able to turn things around and make sure that St. Mary’s will be a viable option for these kids. We are full steam ahead. We have a good freshmen class enrollment coming in, bigger than the senior class that just graduated, so that’s a positive.”

Collins also spoke of a special student that has been at the school the longest. “One student in particular has been here since kindergarten and he thought he would have to go for one year to another school and that didn’t happen. He received his diploma and he’s off to Iowa college,” Collins said. That student is Luke Willenborg.

The valedictorian, Joseph Walz, is off to the University of South Florida to study biology and the salutatorian, Aaron Blanchard, will attend the University of Hartford to study civil engineering. One graduate, Emily Burke, took the time to decorate her cap and her attention to detail seems to be one of her assets.

“I kind of have my life planned out. I’ve always had an immense passion for helping people,” Burke said. “I’m attending Merrimack College for psychology, sociology and business. I plan to go off to graduate school and medical school and earn my Ph.D., so I can be a child development and trauma psychiatrist.

“My father passed away when I was thirteen and it was hard for me, so I want to help kids who lose their parents or who experience anything traumatic in their early lives,” said Burke.

One young man, Michael Kelly, was missing for the special day and for good reason. The school held a separate graduating ceremony for him a week prior as he enlisted in the Army and departed five days before graduation exercises. He will train to become a United States Army ranger.

A video version of this story will be featured on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel,” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22NEWS and in the Berkshires Sunday mornings at 5:30 on Albany’s Fox 23, WXXA.