Brother Rice High School Graduates Its 49th Senior Class

saluted its 49th graduating class this weekend, with a traditional lineup of events that included a Mass and dinner for the Seniors and culminated with the graduation ceremonies. In all, the 145 Seniors brought the total number of alumni of the school, which celebrated its first graduation in 1964, to 9,591.

The weekend festivities began with the traditional Senior Baccalaureate Mass & Dinner on Thursday, May 17. Fr. Richard Yost, the school’s chaplain, celebrated Mass at St. Thomas More in Troy for the graduates, their families, faculty and staff and other friends of the school. Afterward, a dinner celebrating the class’s achievements was held at the San Marino Club in Troy.

The dinner was emceed by the Student Senate President, Cody Ellwanger, of Rochester Hills. The keynote speaker for the dinner was Richard Weber of Sewickly, Penn., a member of the school’s Class of 1981, who is now an energy executive and one of the pioneers of the shale gas industry that is booming in Pennsylvania.

“You are part of a brotherhood that spans generations of alumni, much like the ‘The Band of Brothers,’ ” Weber reminded the Seniors, echoing a slogan that the school’s students and alumni have adopted. “This is a special and unique bond, and you have a responsibility to help sustain it after you graduate.”

The three primary speakers at Sunday’s commencement exercises, held at St. Regis Church in Bloomfield Hills, were the co-Valedictorians, Max Odena of Beverly Hills and Christopher Sesi of West Bloomfield, and the school’s President, John Birney of Beverly Hills, who is a member of the Brother Rice Class of 1976.

Sesi related humorous tales about the faculty and staff during their four years together, before reminding his classmates of what he said was the most important thing they learned together – character. “What the world needs is intelligent people with strong moral values,” said Sesi, “and this is the kind of person that Brother Rice produces.”

In his speech, Odena selflessly recognized a third member of the class, Michael Sessine of West Bloomfield, who was narrowly edged out in the rigid criteria that decide who will be recognized as the class’s outstanding academic achievers. “I’m pretty sure the difference in our GPA’s are decided by a half percent in a math class,” he said. “He deserves to be up here just as much, if not more, than I do.”

Birney reminded the graduates to recognize their role models – “Understand that part of your formation can be attributed to the deliberate and conscious impact of key people and events on your life,” he told them – while also acknowledging the fact that they, too, need to live their lives as role models for those who follow.

As the new Class of 2012 processed out of the church, the graduates were greeted by the Alumni Honor Guard, a group of about 80 alumni who lined the aisles and welcomed the graduates into the school’s Alumni Association. A post-ceremony reception was held in the school’s cafeteria.

Courtesy of Brother Rice High School