Regis Celebrates the Class of 2016
In the presence of proud family, friends, and faculty, the class of 2016 became the ninety-ninth graduating class of Regis High School on a sunny Saturday, June 4. Wearing the traditional white graduation jackets, 130 young men received their diplomas in the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola and celebrated four years of intellectual and spiritual growth.
In his address to the graduating seniors, Mr. Peter Labbat '83, Chair of the Regis Board of Trustees, challenged the graduates to go out into the world and make a difference.
"Regis is an invitation to stewardship," said Labbat. "Following in the footsteps of St. Ignatius and so many others who came before us—to be men for others. So, be principled. Be generous. And stand up for the less fortunate among us."
In one of the more unconventional Regis graduation addresses, Labbat—inspired by the recent Broadway hit "Hamilton"—provided an entertaining hip-hop performance of a song he referred to simply as the "Regis Rap", which was sung to the tune of "Alexander Hamilton" by Lin Manuel Miranda. The song included the lyrics:
You've got to believe
There's something special you've received.
There's a world in need of justice
Go make a holy ruckus.
Following Labbat, Andrew Aoyama '16, who was chosen by his fellow graduates as the senior class speaker, addressed his classmates. In his remarks, Aoyama spoke about the transitions he and his classmates experienced during their four year journey at Regis, and detailed his own struggle to pinpoint what made their experience so unique.
"What had made me come to so love learning at this unique institution wasn’t just what we were learning, but how we were doing it. What was so special about Regis, I began to realize, was the environment."
Aoyama continued by expressing that the Regis experience is one inherently guided by the notion of generosity.
"We so often throw around the phrase 'men for others' that, from an outsider's perspective, it could be easy to think that we've become inured to its meaning. But of course that's not true: the implications of our school's mission are at the heart of everything we do here, a constant aspect of daily life."
(Click here to read Aoyama's speech in its entirety.)
"Your opportunities are great, your potential greater still," concluded Aoyama. "As Regis graduates, let's dream big in being men for others. Let's attack those seemingly intractable problems with noble hearts and unshakable resolve."
A selection of photographs from this year's graduation ceremony is provided below.
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