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'We are a family,' Warren JFK grads say
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By Sean Barron
WARREN
Ask Jessica Crish and Joey Sidoti about their proudest high-school moments, and you’re likely to get a response that transcends having received an “A” on an algebra test or a trophy for an athletic accomplishment.
“I took a mission trip to India as a freshman,” Sidoti proudly recalled, referring to a two-week endeavor in which he helped build a school for children who were less fortunate and had little or no education.
Four years after having assisted with constructing that school, he earned a diploma from another. Specifically, he was among the 58 graduates who received diplomas during Warren John F. Kennedy’s Class of 2017 commencement Saturday afternoon at W.D. Packard Music Hall.
Photo Gallery: Warren JFK Graduation
Sidoti, who also was one of the class’s two valedictorians, plans to enroll in a pharmaceutical program this fall at Ohio Northern University in Ada, then consider attending law school, he said. In the meantime, his summer plans likely will be a bit less intense, because he intends to spend time with friends, said Sidoti, who was at a loss for words to explain how he felt about the end of his high-school days.
Much of Crish’s four years at the Catholic high school consisted of community efforts that included volunteering at an area soup kitchen as a member of her school’s Key Club. She also has worked on behalf of Paws with a Cause, a national nonprofit organization that trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities.
In addition, she was part of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Million Mile Walk, which raised money for children with cancer. Members brought in about $8,000 during the 2016-17 school year, she noted.
Crish, a National Honor Society member whose goals include entering Youngstown State University’s nursing program to be a pediatric or a geriatric nurse, said she felt some sadness about graduating. The Class of 2017 is a tight-knit group whose members greatly care about and feel close to one another, she said.
“When we say we are a family, we really are,” Crish said, adding that her summer will consist partly of a family vacation to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La. One her proudest memories of her senior year was seeing the football team and cheerleading squad, of which she was captain, win state championships. The 14-1 Warren JFK Eagles captured the Division VII football championship by defeating Minster on Dec. 3 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
“I’m so proud of her. She’s worked very hard and does a lot of volunteer work,” said Crish’s mother, Annmarie Crish.
Delivering the keynote address was Allen Ryan, a 1989 Warren JFK grad who urged the Class of 2017 members to passionately follow their dreams and intuitions, show kindness, realize they will be best remembered for how they reached out to others and understand that happiness leads to success more often than the other way around.
“If you love what you do, you will be successful,” he said. “Each of us was put on this Earth with the ability to do something well.”
Ryan also spoke in honor of the late John D. Gillen, who graduated in 1950 from St. Mary’s Catholic School, before Warren JFK was established.
For more than 50 years, Gillen, who died last month, was a social-studies teacher as well as a coach and the athletic director. He also was a kind, beloved figure who attended nearly every school event, took a deep interest in the students, faculty and administrators and upheld a strong faith in God by the example he set, said Jill Phillips, the school’s director of communications.
“He was like the touchstone of Kennedy. Everybody knew Mr. Gillen,” Phillips said, fighting back tears. “He was the best ambassador Kennedy could have ever had.”
“John Gillen was all about Kennedy; he was Kennedy,” Ryan said in his speech.
After a musical tribute to Gillen during which two large black-and-white photographs of him were displayed on the stage, Principal Joseph Kenneally presented the Golden Eagle Award for courage to Gillen’s wife, Gloria Gillen.
Offering their reflections were valedictorians Ryan Galle and Sidoti, along with salutatorian Elizabeth McCue, all of whom advised their fellow graduates to accept and rise from failure, move forward while embracing their dreams and continue to educate themselves.
Galle recalled making a difficult transition after having moved to the Mahoning Valley in his junior year, but soon made friends and began to fit in.
Additional remarks came from Mary Fiala, schools superintendent of the Diocese of Youngstown; Denise Hoover, educational planning counselor; and Kenneally.