An Army veteran who received the nation’s highest military award, an internationally acclaimed chef and the administrator of NASA will be among the speakers at this year’s county high school graduation ceremonies.
Florent Groberg, the Walter Johnson High School alum awarded the Medal of Honor in November, will speak at his alma mater’s June 3 graduation at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
Groberg, who was born in France and became a U.S. citizen the same year he graduated from the Bethesda high school, joined the Army in 2008. In 2012, he was serving as a commander for the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan’s Kunar province when he tackled a suicide bomber, likely saving a number of others in his unit.
Groberg lost about half of his left calf muscle and suffered significant nerve damage, a blown ear drum and a mild traumatic brain injury because of the explosion. President Obama presented him with the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony.
José Andrés, the award-winning chef known for his chain of Jaleo restaurants and many others, will speak at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School’s graduation June 1 at DAR Constitution Hall. Andrés has a home and runs a Jaleo restaurant in Bethesda.
NASA Administrator Charles Frank Bolden Jr. will speak at Thomas S. Wootton’s May 31 graduation at DAR Constitution Hall.
MSNBC political pundit and Chevy Chase resident Chris Matthews will speak at John F. Kennedy High School’s June 6 graduation, also at DAR Constitution Hall.
The full list of graduation speakers and ceremony dates and locations follows:
May 27:
Winston Churchill High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Tisha Thompson, investigative reporter with NBC4;
Alternative Education Programs—10:30 a.m. at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre in Rockville with speaker Craig Rice, member of the County Council; and
Montgomery Blair High School—2:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Cecilia Munoz, assistant to the president and director of the White House’s Domestic Policy Council.
May 31:
Albert Einstein High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with student speakers;
Stephen Knolls School—10 a.m. at the Kensington school with speaker Donna Moore, a teacher at the school; and
Thomas S. Wootton High School—2:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with Bolden as the speaker.
June 1:
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with Andrés as the speaker; and
Quince Orchard High School—2:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Armando Trull, senior reporter with WAMU.
June 2:
Paint Branch High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Pamela Leffler, a teacher at the school;
Rockville High School—2:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Wisdom Martin, a reporter and anchor with Fox 5; and
Wheaton High School—7 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Reynaldo Casas, a board member with nonprofit Dreams for Kids.
June 3:
Damascus High School—10 a.m. at Damascus High School with Joe Gannon, a teacher at the school who was named the school system’s 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year;
Regional Institute for Children Adolescents—10 a.m. at the Rockville school with speaker Eliott Sprehn, an MCPS alumnus;
Seneca Valley High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Damien Robinson, coordinator of the school system’s ACES program;
Model Learning Center—1:30 p.m. at the Clarksburg Correctional Facility; and
Walter Johnson High School—2:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with Groberg as the speaker.
June 6:
Poolesville High School—10 a.m. at Mount St. Mary’s University with Michael Shannon, a teacher at the school;
James Hubert Blake High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Marcus Wiggins, a teacher at the school;
John F. Kennedy High School—2:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with Matthews as the speaker; and
Sherwood High School—7 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Dr. Wiemi Douoguih, director of sports medicine at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
June 7:
Springbrook High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Cyrus Ishikawa, a retired teacher who taught at the school; and
Northwest High School—2:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Matthew Niper, an assistant principal at Rocky Hill Middle School.
June 8:
Clarksburg High School—10 a.m. at Mount St. Mary’s University with speaker Clintoya Somerville, the school’s college and career counselor coordinator;
Col. Zadok Magruder High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker John Auville, a radio talk show host;
Gaithersburg High School—2:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Dr. DeRionne Pollard, president of Montgomery College; and
Walt Whitman High School—7 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker E.J. Dionne, political columnist.
June 9:
Northwood High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with student speakers;
Rock Terrace School—10 a.m. at the school with speaker Dr. Joette James, a psychologist and clinical neuropsychologist; and
Watkins Mill High School—2:30 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker James Torrene, teacher at the school.
June 10:
Richard Montgomery High School—10 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall with speaker Dr. Jordan Goodman, professor at the University of Maryland; and
Longview School—10 a.m. at the school with speaker Tara Johnson, a teacher at the school.
