Cardinal Spellman High School held its commencement ceremony for its 2025 graduating class of 284 students on Saturday, June 7, at the Lehman College Performing Arts Center.
This marked the school’s 63rd commencement ceremony, with the first one being held in 1963. The 284 graduates join more than 23,400 others who have graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School.
The ceremony began with an invocation by Rev. Peter Pilsner, followed by the singing of the National Anthem by Victoria Franciamore. School President Daniel O’Keefe then addressed the graduates, congratulating them on their accomplishments and urging them to continue their hard work in order to help make themselves and the world a better place.
This year’s commencement was also bittersweet for O’Keefe, as he will be leaving Cardinal Spellman High School after 14 years, having served as the principal and then president. It was also announced during the ceremony that Fred Opper of the school’s physical education department will be retiring after serving at Spellman High School for 36 years.
Fordham University Gabelli School of Business Dean Emerita and 1980 Cardinal Spellman High School graduate Dr. Donna Rapaccioli was on hand to address the seniors, their families and their friends. Among the student speakers were Valedictorian Violet Provencher and Salutatorian Rehema Ojwang. Provencher, the top-ranked student in the graduating class, will be attending Binghamton University this fall. Ojwang will be going to Princeton.
Graduates Paul Lachman and Victoria Franciamore were awarded the Cardinal Spellman Trophy and Memorial Scholarship for best embodying the spirit of Francis Cardinal Spellman. Lachman will be going to Stony Brook in the fall, while Franciamore will be going to LIU Post.
The Spellman Spirit Award was given to Luca Valeriano, while the Spellman Alumni Award was presented to Molly McCrossan and Robert Hernandez.
Stacy Sequeira and Jeremy Cabrera were the recipients of the Seton-DeLaSalle Award, which is named in honor of Sisters of Charity Founder Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and Brothers of the Christian Schools Founder Saint John Baptist de La Salle.
The 2024-2025 school year marked milestones for seven different teachers at Cardinal Spellman High School. It was the 20th year teaching there for Marie Murray, Anna Parrinello and John Schoenberg, the 25th year for George Spence, the 30th year for Emily Bruno, the 35th year for Anthony Felicissimo and the 45th year for John DiPalermo.
