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Leonardtown High School’s 33rd commencement featured the graduation of 487 seniors, the schools largest ever. School Principal Maureen Montgomery noted the class had earned more than $9 million in scholarships.

Graduates include three Naval Academy appointments, three Naval ROTC scholarships, one Coast Guard appointment and three Ivy League school acceptances. One of those Naval Academy appointments is Brent Bohanan, son of Delegate John Bohanan, who attended the graduation with his wife Mary.

Montgomery told the students at the ceremony at St. Mary’s College of Maryland: “I am so excited for you,” noting this is her first graduating class as a principal. She said, “You will succeed because you have proven you can succeed.” She added, “Keep looking until you find it. Follow your heart and your intuition.”

School Superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano added his own statistics that included Leonardtown High School (LHS) ranking 656 out of the 27,142 high schools in the country. To be precise that puts LHS in the top 2.41392 percent of all schools, he noted.

Martirano asked everyone in the military to stand and be recognized, including Pax River NAS Commanding Officer Capt. Ted Mills, who was in attendance. “We salute you,” he said. “We are all so proud of you.”

As he likes to do at all of the graduations, the superintendent gave his “ten pearls of wisdom,” that included “Always do more than expected,” “Clean up your own mess,” his signature “Work Hard and Be Nice,” and last but not least, “Always call your mother.”

“Most of all we want you to be happy,” Martirano said, telling the 2012 graduates, “You can always return home.”

Class Salutatorian Frederick Bergen, III gave a rambling talk filled with inside jokes that kept his peers laughing and cheering and caused some obvious embarrassment to some of the teachers and administrators in attendance.

Class Valedictorian Dillon Norris thanked the families and friends in attendance. “None of us would be here without your help,” he said. He jokingly said some people think these are the best days of their lives, but he found that hard to believe with the crowded hallways and long nights of studying. But then he reflected on all the good times everyone will remember.

“Keep doing what you are doing. Obviously it’s working or you wouldn’t be here today,” Norris offered his fellow the graduates as advice. 

The large commencement crowd filled the auditorium and spilled over into an auxiliary gym packed with an additional 1,000 people.

Music for the ceremony was provided by the Leonardtown High School Symphonic Band directed by Joseph Guy and the Leonardtown High School Chorus directed by James Bowser. Color guard was provided by the Army ROTC Color Guard directed by SFC Frank Funk. This will be the Army ROTC’s last year at the school.