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Health & Fitness

FOX MEADOW HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES TWENTY-ONE

 “When I first arrived at Fox Meadow High School, I was not happy – far from it,” said Ajah Timms, the student speaker at Fox Meadow Graduation Thursday evening. “But I grew to love the staff members because they really cared. Now, here I am on my way to college.”

Not only will Timms attend Berkeley College in the fall to study Fashion Merchandising, but she is leaving for a trip to London and Paris on Tuesday thanks to her successful completion of high school.  She said her aunt promised that she could go anywhere she chose if she graduated. Ajah did her part; and her aunt kept the promise.

While they may not be heading to London or Paris, all 21 graduates from Fox Meadow High School are going places because they put in the effort to graduate from high school. Fox Meadow Principal Clark Callahan stressed the graduates’ achievement by citing some statistics:  only 7 in 10 students earn a high school diploma nationwide, while 74 percent of New Yorkers graduate. Those who do not graduate earn an average of 41 percent less than those who hold a high school diploma.

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“At some point in your life, you may have told yourself-- or worse someone else may have told you --that you were never going to make it,” said Philip Kavanagh, director of guidance at Lakeland High School and the keynote speaker at the graduation. “But you did it!”

Kavanagh praised the students for persevering and for accepting the help of family, teachers and staff to achieve their goals. He urged the graduates to never hold on to anger, to accept help when needed and not to be afraid to say they are sorry.

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The following students graduated: Peter Andolina (Peekskill); Arbresha Bajmaraj (Lakeland); Gabrielle Barbedo (Putnam Valley); Raymond Alex Brannigan (Lakeland); Kim Benjamin (Dobbs Ferry); Gabrielle Caruso (Lakeland); Christopher D’Angelo (North Salem); Nicholas Dellabate (Putnam Valley); Allie Farwell (Haldane); Bernard Herbin (Lakeland); Cody Jados (Highland Falls); Amanda Klein (Hendrick Hudson); Daniel Lanari (Lakeland) Michael Lucca (Lakeland); Brandon McCabe (Pawling); Alejandro Reyes (Lakeland); Dominic Sciglio (Putnam Valley); Ajah Timms (Hendrick Hudson); Justin Trejos (Lakeland); Matthew Welker (Cornwall); and Calyl Wongus (North 
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