Thursday, October 1, 2026
Lynbrook and East Rockaway high schools honored the Class of 2025 with graduation ceremonies on June 27, marking the culmination of the seniors’ academic journeys and their transition to alumni.
At Lynbrook High School, graduates walked onto the Marion Street School field, dressed in green and gold caps and gowns. The LHS band performed the national anthem before salutatorian Erick Diaz delivered a speech titled “Blessings and Smiles.”
“What a blessing it is to be tired in pursuit of a challenge of your own choosing,” Diaz said. “Sometimes, it may hurt, or the confrontation with failure may seem horrifying, but our ability to chase after our dreams is but a blessing after all.”
Valedictorian Kate Santoli addressed the audience with a speech titled “The Interims,” reflecting on the significance of graduation as both an end and a beginning.
“I’d like to think of graduation as an in-between moment – an interim that separates high school and beyond; childhood and adulthood,” Santoli said. “We define our lives by the big moments… But the interims are where we grow, where we reflect, where we learn how to deal with failure, fear and uncertainty.”
At East Rockaway High School, the graduation ceremony took place at the East Rockaway Athletic Complex. Graduates processed around the track to “Pomp and Circumstance” as family and friends looked on from the stands.
The senior chorus, led by director Seanna Silver, performed the national anthem and the senior song, “I’ll Be There for You,” from the television show “Friends.”
Remarks were delivered by Superintendent James DeTommaso, Board of Education Vice President Dineen Cilluffo, senior class advisors Shannen Conley and Rebecca Mantle, and Principal Richard Schaffer.
Student speakers included valedictorian Timothy Poland, salutatorian Joey Lu, and class officers Joseph Ventura and Erin Lynch, who spoke on themes of gratitude, perseverance and school pride.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of diplomas and the traditional cap toss, officially marking the end of the Class of 2025’s high school careers.
