The 118th Commencement Ceremony for North Plainfield High School took place on June 19, 2015. The ceremony began at 6pm on the high school’s football field. The ceremony celebrated the graduation of 259 members of the Class of 2015. The graduates wore the school colors Maroon and White. The boys wore maroon and the girls wore white. The graduates were led on to the field by the district administration, members of the Board of Education and the district faculty.
Senior, Melody Njoku, began the event with the singing of the National Anthem. President of the Class of 2015 gave the welcoming address and was followed on the dais by Valedictorian Mateo Gilsilvetti. The winner of the senior essay contest, Chad Covin, immediately followed. The high school concert choir provided an interlude with its beautiful rendition of James Erb’s, “Shenandoah”. The graduates were then addressed by the Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Mrs. Michelle Vella, followed by the High School Principal, Dr. Jerard Stephenson, then Board of Education President, Linda Bond-Nelson.
Principal, Dr. Jerard Stephenson, read the roll call of graduates while members of the Board of Education and the District Administration congratulated the graduates and handed them their diplomas. The evening concluded with the singing of the Alma Mater by the high school concert choir and the ceremonial tossing of the caps. The faculty formed a corridor of honor for the graduates to walk through to congratulate the graduates as they exited the field.
Project Graduation’s, Senior Smash, the drug and alcohol free graduation party was held at the Branchburg Sports Complex. The graduates returned to the school at 9:45pm where they boarded buses to attend the party. The party was chaperoned by parents, community members and high school teachers. The graduates returned to the high school in the morning, tired after a long night of celebrating their achievement with their childhood friends.
