The St. Petersburg High School International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme’s class of 2026 gathered on Wednesday, May 20 at the Coliseum Ballroom in Downtown St. Petersburg to celebrate their achievements, reflect on their four-year IB journey, and share one last hurrah (and maybe a few tears)  before their paths diverge toward their respective–and separate–futures.

This sentiment, echoed in some way across multiple speeches, may have hit hardest when IB senior Christian Burg, elected by his class to speak at the celebration, reminded his classmates that while their time together and the IB programme itself was ephemeral (i.e., fleeting or temporary), they all still have much to accomplish with their lives. And, admitting that he may be getting a little “dark,” encouraged them each to live because “remember, you will die.”

Except, because we’re talking IB scholars, he said it in Latin: “Memento Mori,” a phrase he said he may get inked on his skin before beginning his freshman year at Florida State University. A permanent reminder to enjoy all the moments, big and small.

Event emcee and IB History teacher Todd Maxwell put it a little differently.

“This probably will be the last time you’ll be together as this exact group of kids ever again,” said Maxwell. His advice to the graduates? Don’t always look for the next thing. Don’t always ask if their effort will be enough. Or if they will be enough. Or how do they get more. Instead, “savor the moment” before it becomes a memory.

Claire Rudolph, who is IB co-valedictorian and headed to the University of Florida in the fall, said that Senior Celebration “is an enlightening close to these past four years–coming together one last time before graduation and celebrating all together.”

Rudolph’s co-valedictorian, Quinlyn Dalyander (also headed to the University of Florida), added that “we’ve all cried for various reasons in the IB program, but we did it together since the beginning, and we’re coming out the other side together once more.”

While each IB senior received their IB stole to wear at commencement on Saturday, May 23, three IB seniors were recognized with special awards: Sally Rozelle  (heading to Mount Holyoke College in the fall) received the Carolyn Nelson Award (which is presented to “the ideal IB student”); Ivan Dorofieiev (attending Cornell University in the fall) received the Linda McPheron Award (which is presented to “a student who has overcome obstacles and successfully completed the rigorous IB program”); and Avery Henderson (attending the University of South Florida in the fall) received the Samuel Davis Community Service Award, which is a Community, Activity, and Service (CAS) award. (Full disclosure: Avery is my brother).

IB English teacher Beth Scussel received the Don Driskell Award, which is presented “to the most inspirational teacher” and selected by the IB senior class. 

In her comments, Scussell said she will remember this group of seniors “as the moment AI hit education and ChatGPT entered the chat” as well as for hundreds of other ways. But she encouraged each of them to think for themselves, write their own work, keep reading, and not lean on “robot-speak” or “outsourcing” of their thinking.

IB Programme Coordinator and Assistant Principal Dr.  Shalaine Kaur-Barrett–who recently earned her doctorate in education administration, an accomplishment celebrated and acknowledged multiple times during the evening–has seen first-hand how the IB program shapes its students, noting in a letter printed in the event’s program  that “the skills you built here…are the tools that will open doors.”

“The world you are stepping into rewards the people who know how to sit with difficulty and keep going. It rewards the ones who have been stretched beyond what felt possible and came out the other side with something they did not have before,” she added. “The world is yours. Not because it will be handed to you, but because you have already proven you know what to do when it is not.”

“I’ve been working here for six years and have taught this class during their entire high-school career,” said Madame Betty Rioux, who teaches French. “I’m proud of all of them for their accomplishments and achievements–not just the French students!”

IB English teacher Roddy Benton said that Senior Celebration is “not only a celebration of graduating from IB and crossing that line but also finishing their IB exams,” as the last IB exams of the year ended just hours before the event.

After shepherding the IB seniors through the past four years of education and instruction, Theory of Knowledge Instructor Angela Hack, also in comments printed in the evening’s program, celebrated each student, reminding them that she is “so proud to have had a part on your journey” and that she “can’t wait to see where the next set of steps lead you.”

The St. Petersburg High School Jazz Band, which includes several IB seniors, performed at the beginning of the celebration. There also was a silent auction of curated baskets filled with items donated by area businesses, including Dermaclinique, Kalamazoo Olive Company, Blo Blow Dry Bar, Matter of Fact, Hawkers St. Petersburg, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, and Starbucks, among others. Funds raised at the auction will help fund IB-related activities for the 2026-2027 school year.

“We’ve gone on a wonderful journey these past four years,” said IB senior Rafael Faraci, who is attending the University of Florida in the fall, “and it couldn’t have ended better.”