141 at Mooney earn diplomas and distinction

June 1, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

School officials say the Cardinal Mooney High School Class of 2014 stands out among other classes for its positive competitiveness and its charitable endeavors.

But members of the class say it’s their solidarity that stands out to them.

“High school is a very important part of your life,” said Murphy Sharp, one of more than 140 students who received diplomas during commencement exercises Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Auditorium. “It’s when you come into your own and start to find yourself.”

Sharp said the Class of 2014 “grew together” during its four years at Mooney, learning to deal with both victories and defeats collectively. That hit home for them when one of their own, Cody Congemi, was diagnosed in mid-March with Hodgkins lymphoma.

“It really grounded everyone,” said Precious Kato, 18. “It made us see that our problems are not as big as [those of] one of our classmates.” Patrick Kelty, 18, is close friends with Cody, and said he spent about an hour with him Saturday, just hanging out.

“He’s really the same kid,” Kelty said. “His outlook is still the same. He’s one of the most optimistic kids I’ve ever known.”

That optimism serves as an inspiration to the rest of the class, Kelty said.

As his classmates spent time before graduation mingling with one another for the last time — and taking selfies and group pictures with their cellular phones — Kelty said he appreciates the friendships he’s made as a student and an athlete at Mooney, where he played on the football team. He wasn’t a bit nervous about the ceremony.

“The hard part is over,” he said. “Now it’s on to what’s next.”

For him, that means attending the University of Dayton, where he’ll study mechanical engineering. He chose that school because of its cooperative program in which students can work while they go to school, gaining valuable professional experience.

“I love Youngstown, so I wouldn’t mind coming back here at all,” Kelty said of his post-college plans.

Sharp, 17, said she was excited about graduation and is “thrilled to be moving on.”

Her next stop will be Loyola University in Chicago, where she’ll pursue a degree in political science.

“I like people, and I like dealing with problems and finding solutions to them,” she said.

Kato plans to study neuroscience at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., but isn’t sure what she’ll do with the degree once she obtains it.

“My parents want me to be a doctor, but I don’t know if that’s right for me,” she said. “I’m keeping all options open.”

Fred Xie, 19, came to Mooney two years ago as a foreign-exchange student from China. He said he did his best to assimilate into the American culture, and feels that he’s leaving school as an American. He said he received a good education and made lots of friends at Mooney. He’s returning to China for a year, but then will come back to attend college. He hasn’t chosen a school, but said it will be in California.

“Because it’s warm there,” he said, smiling. He also said his family has friends in that state.

Principal John Young said he admires the class for its accomplishments.

“It’s a very competitive class, both academically and athletically, and they’ve been very successful,” Young said, noting that three of the graduates were accepted into the University of Notre Dame’s early admission. “I’ve had two kids accepted there in the past 41 years. This year, we have three in one class.”

He said the Class of 2014 is also very active in community service, donating its time to 64 different organizations in the area.

“It truly is a very giving class,” Young said.