FDNY High School Celebrates First Ever Graduation Ceremony

 

Four years after opening its doors, the FDNY High School for Fire and Life Safety celebrated its first ever graduation ceremony on June 26.

As “Pomp and Circumstance” played, 35 students walked across the stage at FDNY Headquarters to receive their diplomas.

“This is the final part of your four year journey through high school, but it is part of your bigger journey through life,” said Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, the ceremony’s keynote speaker.

The FDNY High School, which is part of the City’s small schools initiative, is housed in Thomas Jefferson High School in East New York, Brooklyn. It provides a rigorous academic program with a special emphasis on the academic, physical and moral rigors of emergency response.

The school exposes students to potential careers in the FDNY as firefighters, paramedics and EMTs.

Commissioner Scoppetta commended the students for being a “shining example” for other students, with 60 percent of the class going on to college.

“In the last four years, you have grown from childhood to young adulthood,” said Principal James Anderson. “This is the beginning of everything for you.”

Sapphira Ballah-Harewood and Rahab Amsterdam were honored as co-valedictorians for the class.

“Always strive to do your best,” Ms. Ballah-Harewood told her classmates as she thanked her family, teachers and friends for their support.

Ms. Amsterdam added: “We have faced many obstacles … thank you to all our teachers for not giving up on us.”

Twenty-one of the students will continue on to college, including Swain Thomas, who received a $35,000 per year scholarship to Wabash College in Indiana.

Tristen Echols will continue on to the U.S. Marine Corps, telling Chief of Department – and military veteran – Salvatore Cassano that he hopes to someday have his job.

Several students received awards for their achievements in the past year, including Davaughn Williams, who received the Henry Talbert Scholarship Award in memory of the FDNY High School student who was killed in 2007.

Many of the students said they want to someday become a member of the FDNY.

The graduates included:

Rahab Amsterdam
Araceli Arenas
Bruce Armstrong
Sapphira Balla-Harwood
Nakita Bascom
Zuuriyah Benyehudah
Tori Bracy
Rolanda Brown
Alisha Clarke
Kharim Cumberbatch
Tristen Echols
Stephen Escobar
Evanna Evelyn
Charles Findlay
Clyton Gambrell
Kimberly Ganntt
Ernest Glover
Laura Harris II
Jonathan Hernandez
Latisha Lesane
Armando Lewis
Ariel Menjivar
Latif Moore
William Munoz
Devon Nazario
Joel Quinonnes
Gairy Ramlal
Swain Thomas
Krashawna Thomspson
Eric Troche
Naquan Warren
Daniel Washington
Davaughn Williams