South Brunswick High School seniors graduated on June 20
By: Michelle McGuinness
While the graduating seniors of South Brunswick High School sat proudly in the center of Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, relatives and friends flooded the stands around them, shouting congratulations and snapping pictures.
The black-and-gold-robed seniors graduated on Wednesday after a ceremony in which they were praised, encouraged and even compared to shoppers in a cereal aisle.
"Today we’re standing in the cereal aisle of a grocery store," salutatorian Neha Bansal said, "because like in the cereal aisle, I’m confused."
Neha, who plans to attend Princeton University in the fall, said the graduation ceremony was more than an event on a single day it was the culmination of the past 12 years of the graduates’ lives. She asked them, and herself, whether they’re ready to face the real world now that they’ve graduated.
"I don’t know whether this stairway leads to heaven, but here we are Class of 2007 and I think we’re ready," she said.
Valedictorian Bing Qui Chiu, who also plans to attend Princeton University in the fall, focused more on memories than future expectations.
"Greetings, Earthlings," Bing began to laughter from his classmates. "For the past 126 million seconds, four complete revolutions around the sun, we have worked and suffered."
Bing reminisced on chess games during physics class, Harry Potter movies during Latin and strategically gifted coffee and doughnuts for teachers, but said that, even after graduating, the members of the class will remain together.
"Many of you view me as a symbol of intellect, but am I really?" he asked.
In order to give other students the praise he thought they deserve, Bing said he prepared a list of students worth congratulating. He said that while writing his speech he was approached in class, outside of school and even in the bathroom with requests to be included on the list of names to be read.
"I have finally decided on a list," Bing announced.
He held up a black and gold shirt with the signatures of every member of the graduating class on it that was displayed on the arena’s four-sided center video screen.
"May the force be with you," he concluded, "and please recycle."
When the 687 graduates’ names were announced, everything from applause to screams to air horns erupted from the audience. As one student’s name was called, a row of relatives and friends stood to display bright orange shirts with the name "Yasmin" spelled out across them. For other students, the younger members of the school’s band stood to show their support for their graduating band mates.
The band and choir performed two songs for the graduates during the ceremony, including "Seasons of Love" from the musical "Rent."
Principal Timothy Matheney noted not only the band’s achievements, but also the outstanding academic accomplishments of the class, which includes two perfect scores on the SATs.
"You have set the standard for future classes," he said to the graduates, who included a published novelist.
"I wish you the best life has to offer and then some," Superintendent Gary McCartney said as he addressed the class.
Dr. McCartney said he believes the class can achieve tremendous goals such as combating racism and finding a cure for cancer. But in order to do these things, he said, the students must remember that life is not a free gift that doesn’t need to be repaid, but a debt.
"Things do not happen," he said, quoting President John F. Kennedy. "Things are made to happen."
After all 687 names were read and the students sat for the last time as a class, they switched their tassels from left to right and threw their hats into the air to mark the end of their high school careers.

