May 28, 2021
Following an academic year of unprecedented change and challenge, Boston College High School seniors donned their caps and gowns this past Saturday and said goodbye to an institution that has prepared them for the future. The May 22 graduation ceremony, held at McCoy Field, brought more than 2,000 members of the BC High community together - appropriately and responsibly distanced and in accordance with state and federal health guidelines.
Of the 301 graduates, 21 are residents of Hingham.
“Our school will be forever inspired by the dedication and fortitude of the class of 2021,” said Grace Cotter Regan, President of Boston College High School. “Their leadership, maturity, and tenacity served as an example to younger students and provided a foundation for our faculty and staff to address the challenges of this past year with incredible success. It is my great honor to congratulate these young men as they set off on the next chapter of their lives, now as alumni. Even as they leave Morrissey Boulevard, their spirit remains inseparable from our community.”
The keynote speaker was Jack Shields ’79, founder and chairman of Shields Health Solutions and benefactor of the recently established Shields Center for Innovation. Launched earlier this year with Shields’ investment of $5M – the largest innovation investment in school history – the Center will help prioritize entrepreneurial thinking and prepare students for the rapidly changing innovation economy.
In his remarks to the class of 2021, Shields implored the young men to “think of starting college as a chance to join a new team. To build relationships with classmates, roommates, and your professors. It starts with being kind. Learn to rely on those around you to teach you, as you will teach them.” He also challenged graduates to “be curious, learn to break problems down, identify the component parts, recognize patterns. This is where innovation and success come from.”
The class of 2021 has been accepted to more than 200 colleges and universities across the country, with 114 graduates attending college in Massachusetts next year. 25 percent, or 77 graduates will attend Jesuit colleges and universities. Additionally, five members of the class of 2021 received full tuition, merit-based scholarships, and six others will attend Ivy League institutions.
The culmination of this past year, as challenging as it was, also presented an opportunity for the school to reflect on a very successful 2020-2021 academic year. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, BC High provided an in-person learning environment from the outset, utilizing a hybrid model for the first half of the year - with two cohorts coming to school on alternating weeks. BC High then welcomed all 1,400 students back to campus in early April for the remainder of the school year.
“BC High students graduate with so much more than a diploma, they have forged lifelong friendships, explored their faith, committed to servicing others, and developed a thirst for knowledge that will fuel them through college and beyond,” said Adam Lewis, Principal of Boston College High School. “Our graduates enter the world with grace, kindness, integrity, and all the tools for success.”
Looking ahead, BC High is excited to welcome 301 new students, the largest incoming freshman class in a decade, in the fall of 2021. The incoming class of 2025 represents the following:
*98 different zip codes in Massachusetts
*12 different faith traditions
*25 different languages spoken at home
*25 percent identify as a person of color
In addition, 77 percent of accepted students are from public schools, and 65 percent received financial aid and merit grants, for a total of $9.36 million awarded.
“Ignatius of Loyola said, ‘Go set the world aflame,’ and that’s what we expect our young men to do,” said Regan. “Given the education and experiences they’ve received at BC High, they certainly have the foundation to make a mark in our society. We can’t wait to see what they achieve.”
Congratulations 🎉 AMDG
Thank you