Benchmark School Graduates Class of 2016 and Honors Its 2016 Outstanding Alumnus

MEDIA, Pa. (June 21, 2016) – Eighteen students took to the stage in Benchmark School’s A. Palmer West Performing Arts Center on June 15 to celebrate their achievements and mark their 8th grade graduation from Benchmark School.

The event was highlighted with an address from Head of School Robb Gaskins, the awarding of diplomas, and a rose ceremony during which students gave roses to their parents in appreciation of their support. The graduates also received an inspirational commencement speech from the school’s 2016 Outstanding Alumnus recipient, Joseph Caruso, a 1986 Benchmark School graduate.

Having the ‘Outstanding Alumnus’ give the commencement address at the graduation ceremony is a Benchmark tradition, as it provides both the graduates and younger middle school students in attendance an opportunity to see what someone in their shoes can achieve with continued hard work and dedication. Caruso, the school’s 2016 recipient, is the epitome of such a success story.

Caruso, who was considered legally blind due to being born with congenital cataracts, entered Benchmark School in 1979. Although he said he “had to play catch-up for several years and struggled to maintain his vision,” he distinctly remembers the day a Benchmark teacher finally figured out that he was actually able to read on an advanced level, but he just could not see the small letters. After handing him a large print book, he said that excelled immediately and is “forever grateful” to Benchmark School. Additionally, Caruso said that his Benchmark experience taught him to be “tenacious and persistent”—characteristics that have helped him complete Iron Man competitions, create FOCUS Wines & Spirits (an importer and distributor of quality wines, spirits, and craft beers from around the world), and begin the FOCUS Wine Foundation, which gives a portion of the proceeds of every sale directly to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and other premier children's eye institutions.

“Be grateful for the opportunity your family has given you by being at Benchmark,” Caruso told the graduates. “Also be resilient, stay focused, trust your instinct with the people you are going to surround yourself with, and never, ever give up.”

Benchmark’s graduates will move on to independent, parochial, and public schools.

About Benchmark School: Benchmark School, located at 2107 N. Providence Road, Media, Pa., is an independent, not-for-profit day school serving students in grades 1-8. Founded in 1970, the school is committed to helping bright students who have yet to reach their academic potential become confident and strategic thinkers, learners, and problem solvers who meet with success in school and life. For more information about Benchmark School, please call 610-565-3741 or visit BenchmarkSchool.org.