Berkley Beat 2025 Graduation Edition - Celebrating our Seniors

Alma Mater

Hail To Thee, Our Alma Mater,

Hail To Thee Alone.

To The Colors That We Cherish, Those We Call Our Own.

First Maroon, The Color Brave. Then The Blue, On High We Wave,

Flaunt The Banners, Onward Carry Berkley High, All Hail!

Statistics

The BHS Class of 2025 received $5.4 million in scholarships.

Next year this class will be attending several public and private universities in the state including Michigan State, University of Michigan, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Oakland University, Wayne State, Grand Valley State, Northern Michigan, Oakland Community College, College for Creative Studies and Washtenaw Community College.

This Class of 2025 was accepted at and/or will be attending Howard University, Alabama A&M, Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin, MIT and Tiffin University to name a few out-of-state institutions.

Some students are taking a gap year, some are entering the workforce and five are entering the military.

68% of seniors took at least one Advanced Placement - college level - class while at BHS.

A record number of the class took rigorous vocational education classes.

26% of the class was in Band, Orchestra, Choir and/or Drama. 32% of the class participated in Athletics.

Commencement Speakers

Berkley High School graduation included words from soon-to-be graduates to their fellow classmates. Shira Mendelson shared her speech, “The Finish Line” and Ruqaya Siddiqi shared her speech “The Seasons of High School”; Ashley Rolands, Student Body Vice President, introduced the graduating class; Ella Francis, Student Body Treasurer, introduced the National Anthem, and welcomed Superintendent Francis, her dad, to the podium; Miya Allison, Student Body Secretary, introduced the Alma Mater; and, Alexandra Capuano, Student Body President led the switching of the tassels.

BHS Principal Andy Meloche and Superintendent Scott Francis also addressed the guests and graduates.

Here are a few selections from their speeches.

Scott Francis, Superintendent

Over time, our worries, our hopes, and our wishes don’t change much for our children. What I hoped for many years ago as a parent of a kindergarten child is strikingly similar to what I hope for my daughter and the graduates here tonight as they begin the next chapter in their life.

From kindergarten to high school, and on to the next phase of life, whether that is at college, the armed forces, jumping into the workforce, and any stage in between, our dreams for them remain constant. And for me and many others I’ve talked to, they center around these 3 themes - success, connection and happiness.

Andy Meloche, BHS Principal

If I had to describe the Class of 2025 in one word, it would be leaders. Since the moment you stepped foot on the campus of Berkley High School, you have been mature beyond your years. That’s not to say your path was easy, because it wasn’t. In fact, I’d argue that the greater world didn’t do you any favors over the last four years, forcing each of you to make sense of complicated issues like international conflicts, domestic and worldwide inflation, trade wars, climate disasters, social justice movements, cybersecurity hacks and the ubiquity of artificial intelligence just to name a few. Through all this turbulence, however, you balanced being a high school student while trying to figure out what it means to be a citizen who enacts change in a global society.

As a reminder of the importance of your leadership, I have something to send each of you home with tonight. When the final demolition of Berkley School began this past April, I walked over to the construction site and salvaged several of the busted up bricks from the rubble. I took those fragments and placed them into over 300 small glass jars, one for each graduate here tonight. I’m hopeful that you can find a special place for it and that it will help you keep three important things in mind.

First, there is a Berkley Bear head on the jar. I put it on there to remind you of your connection to everyone here tonight. Second, as I mentioned, each jar has small bits and pieces of the former Berkley School that started it all in 1918. Lastly, each jar has a picture of BHS’s past above a picture of its future. In the middle, bridging those two worlds together is the word “leader.”

The Finish Line - Shira Mendelson

These past few years have been a whirl of emotions. We’ve had sweet moments — like camping out at people's houses during water wars, dressing up as soccer moms for spirit week, going all out for the USA football game theme, and dapping up Mr. Green in the hallway. But through it all, we learned. Some of it was academic, sure — but a lot of it was just about being human.

So as we move on to whatever’s next — college, jobs, travel, or just catching up on sleep — let’s not stress about having it all figured out. We’ve made it this far on caffeine, vibes, and each other. I know we’re gonna be okay.

Congratulations, Class of 2025 — now let’s go be the slightly unhinged, ridiculously capable adults we were always meant to be.

The Seasons of High School - Ruqaya Siddiqi

And that's the thing about senior year. It was packed with moments like that. Every activity and every joke felt like we were writing the last chapter of high school in real time.

And now, here we are - not just looking back, but also looking ahead. Like the seasons that carried us through high school, we’ve changed - and we’ll keep changing. The people we met, the lessons we learned, and the moments we shared have all shaped us into who we are. And no matter where life takes us, these four years will always be a part of us - guiding us and reminding us where we started and how far we’ve come.