Outdoor ceremonies were held June 21 in three locations for the 464 graduates of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools.
The 40 graduates of the Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies in Edison were addressed by Ronald Rios, chairman of the county Board of Commissioners, and Commissioner Charles Tomaro in a ceremony at William Warren Park in Woodbridge.
“Your final two years may not have gone as planned,” Rios said, adding that the graduates should be well prepared for obstacles in the years ahead.
“Your future has unlimited potential for success,” he said. “Use the skills you have learned in your time at school to make a positive change in the future you are going to create and shape.”
The Edison Academy valedictorian was Aditya Agashe of Edison, while the salutatorian was Aditya Chandaliya of Monroe.
At the graduation of the Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge, also at William Warren Park, County Commissioner Charles Kenny said he wanted to “boast for a second,” citing surveys that placed the both MCVTS academies in the Top 3 among public high schools in New Jersey and among the Top 10 in the United States.
“You have been taught by the most elite teachers,” he told the 62 graduates. “You have been in the arms of the best of the best.”
Kenny also remembered the late Kenneth Armwood, a county commissioner who had been in charge of education.
“He believed in education for all,” Kenny said. “He believed in finding the good in everyone and giving them the resources to succeed.”
MCVTS Superintendent of Schools Dianne Veilleux praised the graduates, saying “a very difficult two years” required them “to do almost the impossible to get here.”
Also attending was Middlesex County Executive Superintendent of Schools Kyle Anderson, who also is a member of the MCVTS Board of Education.
The Woodbridge Academy valedictorian was Anna Vakhnovetsky of Old Bridge, while the salutatorian was Shivangi Nanda of Edison.
The graduations for the East Brunswick and Piscataway campuses were held back-to-back on the school grounds in East Brunswick, while the Perth Amboy campus ceremony was held there. There were a total of 362 graduates.
Mia Evon was the East Brunswick campus valedictorian and Manveer Singh was the salutatorian. Both are from Carteret.
MCVTS Board of Education President Keith Jones II presented the diplomas.
Also on hand were County Commissioner Leslie Koppel and MCVTS board member Karen Eastman.
The Perth Amboy campus valedictorian was Krzysztof Grochal and the salutatorian was Stanley Marczak, both of the Colonia section of Woodbridge. County Commissioner Claribel Azcona-Barber and Perth Amboy Mayor Helmin Caba attended.
Cindy Leal of New Brunswick was the Piscataway campus valedictorian, and Waina Ali of Keyport was the salutatorian. Board President Jones, County Commissioner Shanti Narra and board member Laura Czarnecki attended.
The Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District, the first full-time county vocational school district in the nation, offers 34 career majors. More information is available at www.mcvts.net
- This information was provided by the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District.