Ridgewood High School Graduates Encouraged To Make The World A Better Place

Acknowledge the past and embrace the future.

The Ridgewood High School Class of 2015 did that at the school’s 120th annual commencement ceremony Thursday.

The boys, decked out in white suits with black pants and red boutonnieres, and girls, each carrying a bouquet of red roses, listened to their colleagues, administrators, and teachers impart advice to them regarding transitioning into adulthood.

Principal Thomas Gorman urged the class to ”take an active role and create yourselves, don’t be passive. Take the time to live in the moment.

“Be mindful of the knowledge you gain, take advantage of new experiences, and learn from your mistakes,” Bohan said.

”We need everyone we can to make our country a better, kinder, more gentler place.” - Gabriel Voorhis-Allen, president of the Student Congress

Class President Cormac Bohan said that what made this year’s senior class special was the comrade the students shared with one another.

Bohan, who gave a heartfelt speech, said that ”I’m really bad at goodbyes, but what is so amazing is that this isn’t goodbye. How many of us can honestly say that we will leave here and never talk to anybody from this class ever again?”

Gabriel Voorhis-Allen, president of the Student Congress, said that growing up in Ridgewood has allowed the graduates to discover themselves, but noted that “the real world may not be as forgiving” as the village has.

“The world is full of problems and it’ll be up to our generation to solve them,” he said. ”We need everyone we can to make our country a better, kinder, more gentler place.”

Voorhis-Allen and Olivia Nicole Facini were given the Irwin B. Somerville Awards.

A touching tribute was given to Jacob Brown, the head girls track and field and cross country coach at Ridgewood High School since 1971. Brown has led the track and cross country teams to a combined 44 state group titles, two team Meet of Champions titles in cross country, and coached individual runners to countless county, sectional, state, and Meet of Champions All-Group accolades. He is a member of the New Jersey Athletic Hall of Fame.

“It’s been an amazing place to be, Ridgewood,” Brown said with a smile as he stood to an ovation. “Ridgewood is an amazing place.”