Iona Preparatory School Celebrates 103rd Commencement Ceremony

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Iona Preparatory's Upper School celebrated the graduation of 194 seniors during its 103rd commencement on May 26 at Iona College.

The 90-minute ceremony featured addresses from 17-year-old valedictorian Andrew Tornatore from Eastchester and 17-year-old salutatorian Sean Johnson from Bedford.

The graduating class collectively amassed $36,284,684 in academic scholarships, with more than 77 percent of the graduates receiving merit-based awards averaging $55,651 per scholarship, according to the school.

Tornatore will be heading to Vanderbilt University after graduating with a 100.22 GPA and 9 total Advanced Placement Courses completed. He was a member of Iona Prep's Superior Talent Enrichment Program, the National Honor Society and the National Foreign Language Honor Society. Tornatore was the founder and co-president of the Biology Club, co-president of the Nutrition for Fruition Club, a Gold Team Peer Minister, a member of the swimming and diving team and a veteran of Mission Peru. He was chosen by faculty to Rep the Prep during Iona Prep’s Middle States Re-Accreditation process in the fall of last year. The recipient of the Harvard Book Prize is no stranger to the microphone, having served as the MC for the school’s annual President’s Dinner back in November.

Johnson is bound for Carnegie Mellon and was president of the Chemistry Club, a member of National Honor Society and a Gold Team Peer Minister. He finished his academic career at Iona Prep with a 99.4 GPA and 7 Advanced Placement exams completed. Johnson competed for the newly minted Westchester County Champion track and field team in the javelin. During his freshman year, he started an after-school chess program at the Don Bosco Community Center in Port Chester and has been teaching lessons there ever since. His brother Christopher Johnson, now at Duke University, was the 2021 Valedictorian.