Congratulations, Class of 2023!
On Saturday, June 10th, LuHi held its 60th Commencement Ceremony celebrating the Class of 2023. The Visscher Gym was full of family, friends, and guests of the graduating class who awaited the commencement ceremony for the graduating seniors.
The Class of 2023 chose Mr. Denis Scannell to address them as this year’s commencement speaker. Mr. Scannell’s message was in response to our school year theme of keeping in “Step” with the Spirit. He shared that being in the spirit allows us to choose faith over fear, kindness over cruelty, and contentment over resentment. In a speech that was both funny and poignant, he shared many profound words with the class on this theme. He left them with this thought: “Fear lives in the future, kindness in the moment, and being in the spirit requires choosing contentment over resentment…I don’t mean to imply not to have goals or not remember the past, but only visit those places. Living in the present helps us choose contentment over resentment, and appreciation over entitlement.”
Salutatorian Sumayya Spann spoke about how quickly her time at LuHi flew by. The message she shared with her classmates was the importance of taking a breath and appreciating the moments as they happen. She shared, “What I’ve learned is that the world will always continue, there will always be a task, or an event, or an application to be submitted, so if I continue to wait, I’ll never truly breathe…So please, I implore you to take a moment to breathe and think about how far you’ve come and the journey that is yet to unfold.”
Valedictorian Stella Bizekis spoke about how the community around her at LuHi – friends, teachers, administrators, counselors – as well the Lord, helped her achieve her goals and gave her support when she needed it. She stated, “The future is the unknown, and with that comes fear and new obstacles we’ve never faced. Use those around you to console you in your struggles and push you in your endeavors. In doing so, I can confidently say that Class of 2023, you can accomplish whatever you dream of for your future.”
Raoul Estinvil and Chloe Findlay, the 2023 Pro Deo et Schola Award winners, offered the final prayer of the ceremony. The Pro Deo et Schola award is presented to the senior boy and girl who exemplify a Christian life in school and their home churches, and is the highest award presented at LuHi.
In addition, a special Pro Deo et Schola award was presented to James and Angela Verdi. Mr. and Mrs. Verdi were incredibly involved at LuHi while their son Vincenzo ’23 was a LuHi student. From Family Association and Bid-For- Kids, to Meal Packing and supporting Crusader Athletics, the Verdi’s have been pillars of the LuHi community for the past 6 years.
The ceremony concluded with a receiving line down the main LuHi hill, where students hugged and high-fived their teachers. The class gathered one last time on the LuHi field to celebrate their graduation with their classmates, family, and friends. Congratulations, Class of 2023!
For more pictures of Commencement 2023, please click here.