CHS students at the Island Center for the Performing Arts for their graduation ceremony on May 24, 2024. By. MEDIA ONE, V.I. CONSORTIUM
Students of the St. Croix Central High School began the school year with historic school-wide protests in demand of better school conditions. On Friday, seniors were honored at graduation ceremony that highlighted the determination of the 174 graduates dubbed “the undaunted, unstoppable, and elite class of 2024.”
In her opening remarks, Principal Andrea Hobson echoed the sentiments of the class theme, celebrating a significant decrease in behavioral issues amongst the class. “In the 2022-23 school year we had 337 infractions. This year we had 116 only,” Principal Hobson boasted to an audience which included Governor Albert Bryan Jr., Senate President Novelle E. Francis Jr., and Commissioner of Education Dr. Dionne Wells-Hedrington. The local officials, as well as the school's community, gathered at Island Center for the Performing Arts to commemorate the growth and resiliency shown by the graduating class over the past four years.
Governor Bryan encouraged the students not to regret paths untaken as they continue to garner more achievements in life, centering his speech around a phrase told to him by his father — “coulda, shoulda, woulda lived in a regretful house.”
Similarly, Dr. Amber Nia-Marie Alcindor, pharmacist and alumna of Central High School, provided the class of 2024 with three pieces of wisdom during her keynote address: not to compare themselves to others, to surround themselves with like-minded individuals, and to never give up on themselves.
Class salutatorian Ishmael Greenidge, who also served as Central’s valedictorian at the St. Croix Career and Technical Center graduation ceremony on Thursday, embodied Principal Hobson’s description of him— “an unassuming genius”— during his speech, as he said that many people would not have expected him to have achieved as much as he has. “Always remember this: we have the power to make a difference,” Greenidge said in closing.
Arielle Orendain, described as having a “captivating voice, a pen that weaves literary magic, and a heart that resonates through art,” was honored as the class valedictorian. Orendain will be exploring the field of engineering as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps after graduation.
However, this year’s crop of graduates were not the only ones to receive honors at Friday’s ceremony. The school also celebrated Dean of Students Rameek Croskey as Employee of the Year, Jennifa Mohammed-Parilla as Teacher of the Year, and spotlighted alumni of the anniversary classes of 2014, 2004, 1994, 1984, 1974.
