Gianni DiGioia thought about giving a “We made it speech.”

The president of this year’s graduating class at Barrington High School said he considered sharing that familiar message with his commencement speech, but, in the end, opted for something different. 

DiGioia instead spoke about a poster on his bedroom wall — a poster of Rocky Balboa. 

DiGioia quoted the words on the poster that he has read every day for as long as he can remember: “It ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.”

DiGioia lived those words. 

The graduating senior — he was a multi-sport athlete, and member of the BHS Science Olympiad team — told the huge crowd at Victory Field on Sunday afternoon, June 7, about an injury he suffered during the fall football season that left him in a hospital for days. That injury, DiGioia said, threatened all the plans he had made for his final year at Barrington High School.

I took my hit, DiGioia said, and I kept moving forward. 

DiGioia’s speech offered a heartfelt kick-off to a picture-perfect Barrington High School Commencement (aside from a brief moment when feedback reverberating from a speaker nearly deafened the thousands gathered for the event). A bright blue sky speckled with puffy white clouds served as a backdrop while 258 students collected their diplomas and bid farewell to Barrington High School. 

Iris Yang read her essay to the crowd. Yang — a member of the Rhode Island and National Honor Societies, who also earned the Seal of Bi-Literacy, the Commissioner’s Seal, and had a Senior Project with Honors — referenced the story of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the sun. Yang said that too often people share only half of the Icarus story. She said the story also warns of flying too low. 

Yang said most students fly just a few feet above the water, but she urged her classmates to see graduation as an opportunity to soar higher than they ever have before. 

The “… only thing left to do is take off,” Yang added. 

This year’s commencement, which featured the choral ensemble’s rendition of “The Times They are a Changin’,” also recognized some long-time teachers and administrators who are retiring this year. 

BHS senior Liam Helfrich shared a speech for social studies teacher David O’Neil, while BHS junior Wes Vallois offered a speech for assistant principal Ed Daft. Barrington High School Principal Chris Ashley spoke about retiring math teacher Tracy Fine.

Ashley also reminded this year’s graduates that they are well-prepared for the next steps in their lives, and urged them to be confident.

Well-dressed crowd

It was a big crowd — maybe one of the biggest ever — to file onto the Barrington High School campus all year long. And it was a well-dressed crowd: Slacks, blazers, dress shirts, and ties; long dresses, short dresses and everything else in between. There were hats, sunglasses, sturdy shoes, fancy shoes, sneakers, sandals, and a wide array of flip-flops. Oh, and don’t forget: a whole lot of royal blue caps and gowns. 

Barrington High School Class of 2026

Joseph Norman Adams*^

Rocco Don Affronti*

Jaqquin Akarra*^

Puttipat Akkharakamonsit*^&

Farah Khadija Al-Chalabi^

Eleanor Rose Alarie*^

Ryan T Aldrich*^

Riley Brynn Allen^

Isabella Tamara Alves*+^

Alexander Matthew Anderson*+^

Gabriel Tyler Anderson*^

Brady T Andrew*#^

Colin Paul Angert*^

Ezra Ignazio Ardizzone*^~

Bunnakron Arree*#^

Samba Lamin Auber^

Zachary David Aubin*^

Caiden J Aussant^

Leyla G Baç*+#^&

Elizabeth Grace Bahena*^

Neal Bansal*+^&

Stephanie (Kora) Mariela Barreto

Alexander Beal*+^

Gabriel John Beaulieu*^

Kimia Elizabeth Beers*+^&

Julia Rose Berg

Ethan Bernier^

Sofia M Bertone^

Lina Katy Beye*#^&

Caleb Lothair Bremer*

Hero Ellen Bremer*^

Charles M. Brito*^

Amity Noelle Burock*^

Charlotte C Byon*^

Beatrice Dawn Cabral*+^

Penelope Anne Cabral^

Arturo Joseph Caldarella*+^

Isabelle Laurie Caldarone*^&

Eleanor G Calhoun*+^

Liam Kim Campos*^

Andrew G Cancilliere

Beckett Wynn Capizzo*^

Shannon B Capozza*+#^&

Riley Capron*+^

Abigail Lynne Capuano*+^

Zachary James Carrara^

Brock Scott Carroll

Marcus Steven Carvalho^

Mia Nicole Casanova^&

Valeria Casanoves-Ruiz*#^&

Mikhail Cassidy

Miles S Castel^

Halyna Jane Chapman*+#^&

Oliver Sonny Charlton*^

Benjamin Choi-Schattle*+^

Madeline Campbell Cohea*^&

Carlo Matteo Esteban Coppi*^

Sage Charlotte Correia

Addison Paige Corrow*^

Quinton D Cortese*^

Nathan J Coutant*+^&

Samuel James Crawford^

Jonathan Payne Currie*+^&

Michael Robert Cutone~

Paige Elizabeth Davignon*+^&

Julian James Davila~

Amelia F De La Torre

Luke Robert Deschenes*&

Anaaya Deshpande*+#^

Ayaan Deshpande*^

Gianni DeAngelo DiGioia*+^~&

Rocco Clayton DiMatteo*+^&

Marketa Ferryn Douglas*^

Lola G Dunham*^

Andrew Wilson Dunn*+^

Julia Relia Edgar-Smith*+^&

Dylan Ryan Edwards*^

Malak Angel Ennaji*^

Maya E Etheridge

Brendan F Excellent*^

Abigail Helena Farb*+^&

Hunter J Ferrucci

Carlo Salvador Flores*^~

Lillyana Floriani*+^

Dale R Fogarty^

Natalie Elizabeth Fontes*^&

Alexandra Lee Ford*+^&

Emma Robin Frerichs*^&

Addison Grace Friedman*

Eliana Joy Fuentes*^

Julia Rose Fuentes*^&

Kristel R Galarza^

Samara Gali*+^

Jonah Gaulin^

Julea Riley Giguere*&

Andre Alfredo Gil*+^&

Tristan Gilfillan*

Santino Carmine Giuffrida*^

Taylor Kells Glass*

Elijah Glum

Calliope R Goldman*+^&

Nathan Paul Gravelle Jr *^

Miah S Grilo*

Qing Mei Guo*^

Siddharth Gupta*^&

Addison G Hackemer

Sophia Alicia Hamilton*+^&

Molly Anne Hanratty*#^

Grady B Hazlett*+^~

Mia He*+#^~&

Tierney Elizabeth Heath*^

Marshall Johnson Heiser

Liam Helfrich*+^~&

Connor John Helm*+^

Isabella Elizabeth Hentz*+^&

Jake Michael Herden

Kaylin E Hession

David I Horowitz^

Vladimir Petar Horvatić*^

Elijah Howe

Henry Atticus Humphreys*+#^&

Helena Angelina Hyde*+^

Kevin M Igoe*^

Addison Grace Jay*+^&

Isaiah Keyshawn Johnson

Kellan T Johnson*^

Lyla R Jones*+^&

Avery Davis Judge^

Annelise Sophia Kaufman*^&

Hayden C Kelley*^

Allena Bella Kelly^

Maeve Elizabeth Kelly*+^

Lauren Grace Kilpatrick*+^&

Winter Lily Kinsella*^&

Piper A. Kirkson*^~&

Ellery Marie Kloc*^

Rowan X Knight*+^&

Julia C Kolaski*^

Justin Hsin-Chih Kuo*^

Josephine Sheryl Lamb*+^

Logan Q Lane^

Katharine S LaRoche*+^

Kenneth Phillip Lass*^

James W Leduc*+^

Siena Y Leland*+^&

Claudia Maris Leonard*+^&

Sophia Josiane Lepine*#^

Parker Jordan Lewis*^&

Jason W Lu*+#^&

Ava-Bella Simoes Luis

Laura Lukácsy*+^

Jonathan Lewis Magnuson^

Vassilios Nicholas Makris*+^

Aiden Noble T Mantooth^

Jack H. Marley*^

Sophia A Marquez#^&

Alexandra Grace Martin*+^

Elizabeth Maddison Materne*^&

Katheryn L Mazul^

Katherine Rose McAdams*+^

Henry Matthew McClelland*^

Emma J McCrann*+^&

Colin Thomas McDermott*^

Claire M McTaggart*^

Sophia Lee Mears

Connor Matthew Meehan*+^&

Sally Albrecht Mellett*+^

Evan J. Memoli*^&

Karthik Mitta*+^&

Landon James Montecalvo*^~&

Samson E Montour*^

Adriana Lee Moore^

Holly Elizabeth Moscrop*+^&

Charles H Muller

Paulina Jane (PJ) Multer*&

Andrew W Nellis*^

Lucas W Newton*+^&

Andrew James Niemeyer*^

Gaia Rose Nugent

Calvin M Oberacker*^

Cara Jade Oberg

Gabriella Noemia Ormonde*+^

Cole Jackson Ornstedt*+^&

Linsey Mae Ornstedt*+^&

Liv Catherine Ouhrabka*&

Kaleo Pan*#^

Donovan L Park*^&

Nachiket Patel*^

Puru Amit Patel*+^&

Garrett Stephen Poirier*+^~

Juliette May Poirier*^

Benjamin M Power

Gianna N Prete*^&

Brenna Nicole Quinn*

John R Raposa

Ella M Reagan*+^

Ryan G Realejo^

Adriano David Edmund Rego

John Patrick Reynolds*&

Ryan A Rigamonti*+^&

Maxwell Michael Hong Ritter*^

James Thomas Rocco*^&

Isaias D Rodriguez

Logan John Rogers

Evan Manuel Romano

Laila Antonetta Romano*+^

Noah J Salois*^&

Isabella Sanchez-Ramos*#^

Quinley Reese Santos*^

Caleb Jonathan Satisfield

Nora Indigo Schall*+^&

Morgane Seadale*+^&

Aizere Seitkarim*^

Jared Rocco Sequeira

Daniel Serna*

Niki Sharifi*+^~&

Ivy N Simon*^&

Alexis Cierra Soares*

Lucas Sousa 

Samuel Francis Spencer*+^

Brian J. Squatrito

Gareth E. Stafford*#^

Sadie Isabel Stern*+^

Aila Laura Stocker*+#^&

Henry J Stockwell*+^&

Samuel M St. Pierre

William Eduardo Sturla*+^&

Vyas Suresh^

Catherine Piper Sweeney

Lucas Sean Tanous

Mary Tapinos*+^&

Caden Michael Tarasenko

Noah William Taylor&

Eilidh Jennifer Thomson*+#^&

Justin Cramer Tibbetts*^&

Harper Jane Tierney*^&

Onson W Tieu*+^&

Eve Q Tolley*^

Jake Philip Tomlinson

Tyler Matthew Tomulonis*^

Muhammed Yasir Toprak

Patrick Trainor*^

Lucas James Treanor

Grace Lynn Turillo*^

Jack Tutalo

Thea Millea Vaage*^

Nicholas T Valdez*^

Faith Rose Van Ness*^

Gabriella Vital

Kitty Wang*+^

Gabriella Ruth Weimer*+#^&

Lillian Fae Morrow Weinstein*+^&

Vivian Q Wen*+^&

Ziyue Xing*+#^

Iris Changzhe Yang*+#^&

Katherine Yang*#^&

Teresa Yang*+^&.

George W Zhukov^

* Membership in the R.I. Honor Society 

+ Membership in the National Honor Society  

 # Seal of Bi-Literacy  

^ Commissioners Seal (Proficient in standards aligned to high school expectations in ELA and Mathematics) 

~ Guided Pathway Endorsement (Has accomplished deep learning in a chosen area and is prepared for employment or further education in a career path) 

& Senior Project with Honors