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Back in the Roedel Field House: BG grads celebrate school’s 56th commencement

By Dean Shalhoup - Senior Staff Writer | Jun 11, 2022

(Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP) Nicholas Dahl, who was named the recipient of the coveted All-Guertin Award at Sunday's BG commencement, joins BG president Linda Brodeur on the stage for the presentation. At right is class salutatorian Tamara Golosarsky. More photos of the commencement will appear in the June 12 Sunday Telegraph.

NASHUA – Bishop Guertin High School principal Jason Strniste led off his address at last week’s commencement with the obligatory announcement that the school’s faculty has certified, in accordance with the laws of the state, that the graduates have met the requirements … and so on.

But with the formalities out of the way, Strniste cut to the proverbial chase: “the story of the Class of 2022 … goes well beyond credits and transcripts. The Class of 2022 has had an interesting path, a generationally-defining path, I think, through high school,” Strniste said, as many heads – some capped with green mortarboards – nodded in agreement.

Indeed, the topic of the highly unusual path carved out for this year’s graduating class, the 56th in the history of the school founded by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in 1963, would surface fairly regularly during the course of the roughly 90-minute celebration of a major milestone in the lives of the 200 newly-minted graduates.

Spending more than half of their four-year BG careers “adjusting, pivoting, being flexible, masking, cohorting, distancing, isolating, testing, quarantining, vaccinating … could have been crippling,” Strniske continued. But instead, he added, school leaders “had a lot of opportunities to see you step up as resilient individuals, and as a resilient class, to make the most of your experiences, despite these obstacles.”

While the highlights were many throughout the Sunday afternoon program, one that stands out is the traditional presentation of the 14 academic departmental awards and the three class honors awards, which took place with widespread anticipation following the conferring of diplomas.

(Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP) Bishop Guertin graduate John Brennan IV gets a hug of congratulations after receiving his diploma at BG's 56th commencement Sunday.

The most prestigious of the awards – the All-Guertin Award, given in memory of Joseph P. LaBrecque – was presented to Nicholas Dahl, who was congratulated with a standing ovation.

The award comes with a scholarship from the fund created in memory of Stephen Boland, a 1986 BG graduate who was killed in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

The award is presented to the student “who enjoys the respect of the entire school community,” is an outstanding student dedicated to learning who has participated in interscholastic activities and served the school and community.

The Thomas Sullivan Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award, which is presented to two seniors who are “the commendable and enviable combination of outstanding scholars and fine athletes,” was presented to Madelynne Bowen and Rylee Bouvier.

The other top award – the Larry Elliott Loyalty Award – was presented to Trent Wright. The award is given in memory of the longtime BG friend and benefactor “to a senior whose loyalty to BG cannot be adequately expressed in words.” The recipient, who is chosen by the faculty and staff, also receives a scholarship, which is funded by the proceeds of the long-running Larry Elliott Sportsmen’s Dinner.

(Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP) A guest at Sunday's Bishop Guertin commencement records a portion of the conferring of diplomas as it plays out on one of the large screens brought in for the event.

The recipients of the departmental awards follow.

• Theology Award: Maeve Ryan

• English Award: Emma van Wagner

• Mathematics Award: Sam Dunlay

• Physical Science Award: Sam Dunlay

(Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP) Bishop Guertin athletic director Ryan Brown presents the two Thomas Sullivan Memorial Scholar-Athlete Awards to graduating seniors Madelynne Bowen and Rylee Bouvier at last week's commencement.

• Life Science Award: Tamara Golosarsky

• Social Studies Award: Matthew Tataronis

• French Award: Britney Sayegh

• Spanish Award: Madeline Roma

• Latin Award: Abigail Linskey

(Telegraph photo by DEAN SHALHOUP) Bishop Guertin Class of 2022 valedictorian Sam Dunlay speaks to his fellow graduates during the school's 56th commencement last week. Behind him hang some of the scores of athletic championship banners earned by students.

• Art Award: Molly Arel

• Music Award: Thomas Bond

• Computer Science Award: Christian Reynolds

• Health and Fitness Award: Madelynn Bowen

• AP Capstone Award: Maria Crivac

Sam Dunlay, Bishop Guertin Class of 2022 valedictorian.

Class of 2022 valedictorian Sam Dunlay addressed his fellow grads following the conferring of diplomas. Near the outset, Dunlay, the son of Lauren and Robert Dunlay of Lowell, issued an apology to three of the many teachers he had over his four years.

“You taught me English well over the years,” Dunlay said, addressing teachers Robert Forrester, Ryan Sherwood and Amy Warren. “So I apologize in advance for all the sentences I’m about to end in a preposition.

“I promise, it’s not a reflection on you.”

The quip was among a handful of lighter moments Dunlay incorporated in his speech, one of several that were presented to a full house of families, friends and visitors.

Dunlay, who enters Tufts University in the fall, also took time to reflect on the eight guiding principles he felt BG gave him, and he urged his classmates to consider what these values meant to them as they moved on.

“Hopefully they will persist in our minds and hearts and we will build our lives around them, consciously or otherwise,” Dunlay said. “But that’s up to each of us individually, because each of us has free will to carve out his own untrodden path. In doing so, we will, I believe, lead better and more fulfilling lives because of our experiences here with each other.”

Salutatorian Tamara Golosarsky, in a compelling address, said she never would have “been able to stand before you today and deliver this speech” had it not been for the “continued sacrifices, efforts … and extremely hard work” of her parents, Russian immigrants who arrived in America “with two suitcases and five dollars in your pockets” and knowing no English.

Golosarsky, a Nashua resident and daughter of Nora Kirsch and Dr. Boris Golosarsky who is headed to McGill University in Montreal this fall, also touched upon the concept of community, asking her classmates to “take stock of the time and place” wherever they are at the moment.

“Cherish the communities that you are a part of. Before you know it, they will be nudging you towards your next adventure, not only urging you to carry on the memories of the past in your heart, but also to make room for new ones in the future,” Golosarsky urged her fellow graduates.

With graduation now behind them, members of the Class of 2022 now look to their next chapter as the newest inductees into the far-reaching club known as BG alumni.

School president Linda Brodeur – herself a BG alumnae – urged the grads to always keep in mind this year’s theme – that they will be “Cardinals forever.”

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

Tamara Golosarsky, Bishop Guertin Class of 2022 salutatorian.

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