Close to 100 graduating seniors from the 50 Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles may now say they have something in common with Philippines president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys, former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, supermodel Cindy Crawford, the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, late night TV host Conan O'Brien, poet Robert Frost and song parodist "Weird" Al Yankovic:

They are call class Valedictorians, young women and men who have performed with distinction in their classrooms and with dedication in their schools and communities. "Valedictorian" --- an anglicized derivation from the Latin vale dicere, "to say farewell" --- is, traditionally an honor given to the top graduate of the graduating class who generally makes the "farewell" speech at commencement time. These days, this honor is sometimes accorded to more than one graduate (as at some Catholic schools), to none (as at a few), or, in keeping with traduition, to one who has excelled in a particularly special fashion.

Young people like (to take but one example) St. Paul High School's Elena Sanchez, who will be attending Cal Berkeley in the Fall as a bio-chemistry major. In addition to taking eight honors classes and five advanced placement classes, Elena --- a graduate of St. Bruno Elementary School in Whittier --- is a member of St. Paul's Campus Ministry, Pep Squad (this year's cheerleader captain), Red Cross Club and a three-year member of California Scholarship Federation. She also volunteers regularly at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier, amassing 130 hours of service in just over one year.

Other schools, public and private, can likewise boast proudly of outstanding achievements by their Valedictorians --- and, indeed, by all of their graduating seniors. On these pages, The Tidings acknowledges those selected for the "head of the class" honor by their respective schools, some of whom found it impossible to name just one. (A few schools reported that they do not accord the Valedictorian honor, but have submitted top students for mention.)

Congratulations to these and all graduating seniors in the Archdiocese; may your coming years be filled with the joy derived from making the world a better place for all to live.

Valedictorians 2006

The following schools each selected one Valedictorian:

Alverno, Sierra Madre: Lydia Petrovic
Bellarmine-Jefferson, Burbank: Amber Herkey
Bishop Alemany, Mission Hills: Daniel Hwang
Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto, L.A.: Lizzette Corral
Bishop Garcia Diego, Santa Barbara: Karen Anna Von Dollen
Bishop Mora Salesian, L.A.: James Almazan
Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary, Montebello: Liane Francesca Weissenberger
Cathedral, L.A.: Andrew Chomchuensawat
Chaminade College Preparatory, West Hills: Steven Chew
Crespi Carmelite, Encino: Maxwell Koesler
Daniel Murphy, L.A.: Roger Gutierrez
Don Bosco Tech, Rosemead: Ricardo Komai
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, Flintridge: Alexandra Marie Ordway
Junipero Serra, Gardena: Frances Borgona
Loyola, L.A.: Charles Isaac Durand
Marymount, Westwood: Celina Kirchner
Mary Star of the Sea, San Pedro: Sara Forney
Notre Dame Academy, West L.A.: Allison Hales
Pomona Catholic, Pomona: Nadia Tavitian
Providence, Burbank: Julia Terr-Malloy
St. Anthony, Long Beach: Patrick Valdez
St. Bernard, Playa del Rey: Jocelyn Mason
St. Bonaventure, Ventura: Joseph Migler
St. Francis, La Caņada: Christopher Saunders
St. John Bosco, Bellflower: Jake Sylwanowicz
St. Joseph, Lakewood: Michelle Crespo
St. Joseph, Santa Maria: Johanna Nagy
St. Mary's Academy, Inglewood: Danielle Thomas
St. Monica, Santa Monica: Mackenzie Weinger
St. Paul, Santa Fe Springs: Elena Sanchez
San Gabriel Mission, San Gabriel: Joyce Yu
Santa Clara, Oxnard: Winnie Chan
Verbum Dei, Watts: Gerardo Mercado
Villanova Preparatory, Ojai: Christopher P. Laubacher

The following schools each selected
more than one Valedictorian:
Bishop Amat, La Puente: Rachele A. Mariano; Kimberlee A. Vander Most
Bishop Montgomery, Torrance: Kristine Bretney, Nicole Budrovich, Erika Budrovich, Christina Chung, Breanna Diaz, Colleen Fitzsimons, Rachel Pittluck
Damien, La Verne: Dane Delfs; Patrick Blaes ; Rami Totari; Luis Garcia; Ryan Pantages; Michael Oh; Fuad Elkhouri; Andrew Young
Holy Family, Glendale: Angela Bilog; Christina Nuno
Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks: Kevin Homsy; Edmund Mokhtarian; Ian Bozant, (7 from Holy Cross, New Orleans)
Paraclete, Lancaster: Ana Barrios, Lia Bonamassa, Christopher Bostwick, Clara Bostwick, Sawsan Farrukh, Jennifer Fernandez, Phebe Gibson, Alexandra Guzman, Lindsay Harvey, Morgan Henry, Elizabeth Hooghkirk, Dyan Leslie, Jasmine McClendon, Kristianne Meisels, Allison Muth, Derek Parnett, Christine Prange, Alexandra Ruelas, Susan Sakugawa, Skye Strong, Adrie Young
Sacred Heart, Lincoln Heights: Yecenia Muņoz; Elizabeth Perez

The following schools did not select Valedictorians, but submitted the following:
Mayfield, Pasadena: Ashley Alvarez, senior class president
La Salle, Pasadena: Sydney Miller, commencement address speake
Ramona Convent, Alhambra: Nicole Lozano, salutatorian
St. Lucy's Priory, Glendora: Jessica Cade and Kathryn Norring, first in class

Ed. note: Not all schools submitted photos. Schools which had not submitted valedictorians' names by press time are invited to do so; they will be featured in a future issue.