MMI Preparatory School honored the Class of 2022 during its 130th commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 26. Seniors received their diplomas from MMI Head of School Justin Kleinheider and Chair of the 2021-2022 Board of Directors Llewellyn F. Dryfoos, III ‘82.
This year’s graduating class of 28 seniors were accepted at more than 81 percent of the colleges they applied to and amassed more than $8 million in merit scholarships and awards.
“The class of 2022 has certainly endured a few interesting high school years. We are so proud of their accomplishments and their resilience. Each member of this class has experienced different stages of the pandemic and we’re very pleased to be able to celebrate them in a traditional way this year. Completing MMI’s rigorous curriculum coupled with the amount of extra-curricular, athletic, community service, and work obligations, makes each graduate well prepared for life after high school,” said MMI Head of School Justin Kleinheider.
During commencement exercises, valedictorian Rachael Emma Betz shared that “We are all better people. Having such a small class has it pluses and minuses, but one thing I’m especially grateful for is how closely knit our relationships are. Unlike other high schools, we all know each other extremely well. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we’ve learned how to work together as a team. We know how to motivate each other, comfort each other, and how to make each other laugh.” She ended by saying, “May we all be the best we can be, and I truly wish you to fare well in whatever comes next.”
Salutatorian Olivia Grace Bartholomew expressed that if she had “one word to describe our four years of high school, it would be change. Throughout our four years of high school, our class has had so much change that arguably change is the one constant we have had. Our class experienced change more than almost any other.” She went on to say, “Why we weren’t always happiest with the constant change, it is through these changes that our class has grown closer and learned to adapt to anything thrown our way. Our adventure at MMI may be coming to a close, but it is just the beginning of our lifetime of adventures.”
Class President Daniella Marcef Vasquez Abreu remarked on how “The students in the class of 2022 are some of the most diverse and intelligent people I have had the pleasure of knowing. While I cannot speak for each one of my classmates’ journeys, I can speak to the fact that they successfully navigated high school with a world spinning
faster than normal and that is something to be extremely proud of. I am certain, that no matter where life may take them, they will all be incredible and successful people, fearless in their expression and realizing they have a family of support standing behind them.”
