Heartfelt send-off

A pair of girls and boys led the graduates of Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in their processional, symbolizing how far they had all come during the past four years.

The graduates, some local, and some from as far away Korea, China, Japan and Pakistan, walked in toward the mountains. Each of them wore the traditional white gown and carried a bouquet of red roses.

“We lovingly place our graduates into the care of your sacred heart,” said school President Carolyn McCormack said in her opening prayer of Sacred Heart’s 78th Annual Commencement ceremony on Sunday.

The class of 2010 buried a time capsule earlier in the week and spent the last year of their high school career with cameras in hand, ready to document their fading high school moments.

“This past year has been a year of remembrance,” salutatorian Amy Trivers said. “We don’t want to let go of the past because we fear we will forget it.”

Trivers thanked Sacred Heart for introducing her to the friends who shaped her into who she is today. She went on to invoke her class to be the best they can be and make an impact on the world through what they had learned the past four years.

“Our class has come to know we have the ability to make a difference in our actions, to make the world a better place to live,” Trivers said. “We must give back to a world that asks for nothing but begs for help.”

Sacred Heart’s 2010 class had two valedictorians, Mallory Howe and Marisa McKently. Howe thanked the teachers for encouraging them to think critically and seek out success.

McKently spoke about the respect gained through being a graduate of Sacred Heart. She said she got out of a ticket for a rolling stop when the police officer learned where she was going to school .

Annette Ricchiazzi Blain, a 1990 graduate of Sacred Heart and president of the school’s alumni association, delivered the commencement address. She called all the graduates to shape their own future through a Kobe Bryant-esque work ethic.

“You have to keep paying for your dream and paying for it until it pays off for you,” Blain said.

Even though Howe described her time at Sacred Heart as grueling academically, she said there is always a cosmic pull bringing her back to Flintridge. She was not alone.

“After driving down the hill today we’ll never be forced to drive back up,” Trivers said. “But who will really be able to stay away? This school has been a home to us literally and figuratively.”