By JON BAKER

PAWTUCKET — Given the standing room-only crowd at St. Maria Goretti Roman Catholic Church on Friday night, it was hard to tell if any of the 29 soon-to-be graduates of Bishop Keough High School “teared up” at the many tributes bestowed upon them.

The most eloquent came from Principal Jeanne Leclerc, who noted, “Every year, the graduation message is basically the same … go forth to make the world a better place. You have been well-prepared for that commission. Your little girl days of comfort are gone forever, except in memory, and now the task of learning so that you may serve others is upon you.
“Some of you will help to shape the minds of children through a career in teaching; some of you will lay healing hands on those who are ill and in need of care; others of you will bring justice to victims, compassion to politics, ethics to business and beauty to the world of art.
“You will find that everything you need to minister to God's people is right within you, for you are young women with loving, caring hearts and hands eager to serve. You have proven that so many times in past years by your willingness to dispose yourselves to the needs of others.”
With a bit of humor, she added, “every morning, you each brought your own brand of personality through our doors, and – while not every day was magical, certainly — every day was mystical because God was in our midst.”
As usual, the Class of 2009 strolled down the aisle to “Pomp and Circumstance,” one every two or three seconds, as a photographer took pictures to commemorate the monumental event. When the final graduate, Alicia Lee Votta, made her entrance and proceeded, the crowd stood and applauded.
Charles H. DeBlois Jr. offered the greetings, stating he wanted to thank the parents and/or guardians for “putting your faith in Bishop Keough.” He also noted that these graduates would move onto such distinguished centers of higher education at Salve Regina University, Simmons College, the University of Rhode Island, Johnson & Wales, Rhode Island College, Curry College and John Abbott College in Canada, and would chase such careers as medicine, health care, business, accounting and teaching.
“At Bishop Keough, we are a family, and you have developed a bond with the faculty, your friends and Ms. Leclerc,” said DeBlois, who awarded Sonya Nonginthirath the laurel named after his father, one given to someone who “best manifests a Christian and civic education.”
“The doors are always open to you at Bishop Keough … Enjoy this moment, and always let God be there to guide you.”
There were a lot of messages delivered on this night, and valedictorian Kristen Grenier's came in this fashion: “Year after year, we watched the seniors cherish their final steps through those doors and walk into a new beginning, as we were left behind anticipating our turn. However, now that we are finally here, we look back and ask ourselves, 'Did we spend our time at Bishop Keough wisely?'
“These years have been a learning experience, like riding a bike, with trials and errors that we learned and grew from,” added Grenier, who will attend Salve Regina in pursuit of a nursing degree. “Our family and teachers have been our training wheels as they guided us and supported us in achieving our goals. Each time we fell or veered off course, our guardians were there to brush off the scrapes and help us continue down the path we had chosen.
“Now, however, it is time for us to stand on our own feet and be the independent young ladies we have discovered within us.”
Salutatorian Naomi Akochi-Chenin stated, “Time, like diamonds and gold, is one of life's mos precious commodities. As we look back at our time spent together, we can all agree it was not perfect, but it was time well spent; a time to make a friend and a time to be a friend; a time to inspire and … be inspired; a time to motivate and be motivated; a time and a chance to figure out who we are and who we want to be.”
Jaime Tasca, a 31-year-old mother of two, not to mention the customer relations manager of Tasca Automotive Group, Inc., served as guest speaker, and told the graduates that she often felt left out, as her brothers served in the family business. After she graduating from Providence College, and joined her family, she decided one day to quit.
“I didn't like the fact I wasn't taken seriously; my father found out, and he is a man of few words,” she said. “There were four words he used to say to us, and those were, 'Do the right thing,' and it would always lead us to the right answer. He called me, and said that … and I walked back in, embarrassed, but told the people I was serious. Being the owner's daughter, you'd think that would be a big advantage. It wasn't. I wasn't seen as an equal in a boys' business, but I wanted to prove I could do it.
“The thing is, you can control how you react to a situation. You can choose to give up or keep going. I say, “Keep going.'”
After each received their diplomas, Most Rev. Louis E. Gelineau, the Bishop Emeritus of Providence, offered a short speech, and then a blessing. With that, the Class of 2009 recessed out of the church to discover their own dreams.