On Friday, June 26, 2026, the South Brunswick High School’s Class of 2026 convened at the Cure Arena in Trenton to celebrate their graduation. The ceremony opened with a performance by the Wind Ensemble, as graduates entered the arena, followed by the Concert Choir, which sang the national anthem and the SBHS alma mater.
The arena was packed with students, full of nerves and excitement as they prepared to close out their high school chapters. Many students decorated their caps, some featuring their future universities and career paths, while others paid homage to favorite songs and memories, with collages of photos and lyrics frequently seen. Students were decked out in honors cords, along with various stoles, medals, and awards pinned to their gowns. The students, however, were not the only people decked out in graduate regalia; staff and board members alike wore their gowns, master’s hoods, and doctoral caps. Earning a moment of laughter from the crowd, Superintendent Dr. Bernard Bragen Jr. even pulled his speech out of his doctoral tam cap at the beginning of his address.
The arena had an air of elation, as the seniors took in the fact that this would really be the end of their high school journeys, including our very own Editors-in-Chief, Eliza Khan and Karim Salahie. SBHS alumni from years past also made appearances, like past student council members or siblings of students up in the elevated bleachers. There were plenty of speeches given, starting with the Class Council President, Tanisha Kinikar, who spoke about her peer class and talked about the impacts that her classmates and friends have left. Kinikar ended the speech with a full-circle moment as she talked about embracing ambition, which is, coincidentally enough, the meaning of her name.
The speech was followed by one from Mr. Varela, where he shared the accomplishments of the class of 2026, highlighting their successes, not just academically, but through their athletics and extracurriculars. He even shared the graduating class’s impressive statistics, including the fact that 71 students were honored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, and 246 graduates received membership in the National Honor Society. Many students also shared other achievements, like being Honor Graduates or holders of the Seal of Biliteracy.
The second student speech was given by Student Council President, Rishita Nossam, who spoke about memories and reflected on high school, closing out her speech by introducing Dr. Bragen for his address, his first at an SBHS graduation ceremony. The Superintendent’s Address continued the theme of new beginnings, without the familiarity of our former superintendent, Scott Feder, but with an embracement of curiosity and a new slate for progress under Dr. Bragen’s leadership.
The Superintendent’s Address was followed by a performance by both the Concert Choir and Wind Ensemble of “Setting Sail,” a song about starting anew and setting down an unknown path for the future, without losing touch with your past. The seniors in the choir were given one last chance to sing with their peers, and Choir Director Mr. Aldo Aranzulla continued the tradition of taking a .5 photo of the choir for Senior Seher Kaur, who has run the choir’s Instagram account this past year, to make one last post.
The performance was followed by, surprisingly, even more speeches. The salutatory address was delivered by Salutatorian Arya Menon, who talked about the shared experience of being in high school, struggling (and searching on the Internet) through all the same questions as her peers, but no matter what, ending up here with wonderful memories and accomplishments, at the very end.
The valedictory address followed, given by Valedictorian Survani Sinha, who spoke about the Ship of Theseus, an infamous paradox about whether a ship with all the parts replaced is the same ship as it once was. She compared the ship’s changes to the changes of her own friends, family, classmates, and peers, asking them to reflect on their own high school journeys; because somehow, the person who once walked in through the SBHS doors for the first time was the same person who was sitting in that arena, waiting to graduate.
Laura Hernandez then delivered the certification of the class, and the graduates lined up to receive their diplomas and cross the stage. Once everyone received theirs, the entire class stood up and partook in the age-old tradition of turning the tassel, marking the official end of their high school career.
As the 2026 Class Council advisor, Mrs. Jamie Weinstein said, “Onwards and upwards, seniors!”
