Edison High School’s 63rd Commencement Ceremony took place on June 17, 2022. After two years on Edison High’s football field due to pandemic restrictions and protocols, the Class of 2022 brought a return to the traditional graduation ceremony at Jersey Mike’s Arena, formerly known as the Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC). 

At the start of the ceremony, the graduating class walked into the RAC following a procession played by the band and conducted by Band Director Mr. Marc DeNicuolo.

Oluwafiyiwemi Omoniyi ‘22, the official morning announcer of EHS, led the pledge of allegiance. As she finished leading the last pledge of her high school career, she said, “stay blessed EHS,” a tradition on morning announcements for this past school year. 

The Edison High School Choir chamber singers, led by Choir Director Mr. Joshua Lisner, conducted the National Anthem. 

While this graduation ceremony signified a return to school traditions, for the first time in Edison High School history, the orchestra also performed a piece. Under the conduction of Orchestra teacher Ms. Brittney Milicia, the orchestra performed a medley of pieces from Theory of Everything. Representing the tough life of Stephen Hawking, a physicist with motor neuron disorder, the movie portrays his ambitious achievements in the field of science portraying a lesson of perseverance, a fitting theme for today’s graduates. 

After this music selection, salutatorian Vasumathi Venkat ‘22 and valedictorian Srinidhi Venkatesh ‘22 delivered their addresses to the graduating class. 

“Could you trade any of it away, any small part of it, just for a small gain? You can’t. Every part of high school, the good and the bad, has led us here, to graduation. And once you’ve played your part, life will take you to where you’re meant to be,” said Venkat in her speech.

Similarly, valedictorian Venkatesh shared her own lessons on life.

“At the end of the day, you don’t need every single part of every single day to be perfect. You need a few perfect moments like this to make the rest of the day worth it,” said Venkatesh.

After the valedictory address, the choir, chamber, and acapella singers, performed “For Good” from the musical WICKED. This piece symbolizes that the friends made during their educational career have impacted the lives of the 2022 graduates–another fitting selection for the Class of 2022. 

Superintendent of Schools Bernard Bragen ‘83 then presented his remarks on choosing the road less taken and perseverence. He then certified that the Class of 2022 completed all state requirements for graduation, and then he presented the diplomas to the graduates.

Despite the focus on the graduates, current and remaining EHS students had the opportunity to reflect on themselves as well. “I loved the opportunity to see the seniors one last time before they all went their separate ways, but I haven’t spent much time thinking about how that applies to us next year. During the ceremony, though, there were moments when they were giving diplomas and I thought ‘Woah, these will be our names next year,’” said Vinay Menon ‘23.