FRESH MEADOWS — There is a freshly baked tradition at St. Francis Preparatory School, dating back decades. 

Chocolate chip cookies, made in-house, are entrenched in the warm tradition the Catholic school works to create, and are given sporadically to the students throughout their four years to commemorate special parts of their academic career. 

But on Friday, May 17, graduating St. Francis Prep seniors had an opportunity to grab one final commemorative cookie following a farewell Mass, as they headed out the school’s doors for the last time as students.

“The last couple of days are pretty bittersweet. We have a lot of stuff to worry about but at the same time, you really want to enjoy the last days of your senior year,” said Max Kuliyev. 

That same day, he had to take his AP physics exam — one of his four advanced placement tests for the year — and jokingly added how that only slightly dampened his final day. He is attending University of Florida in the fall to major in biomedical engineering. 

There are around 500 students in the Class of 2024 at St. Francis Prep. Nearly 100% will be attending college. The graduating class has students attending over 40 colleges across the country.

“That’s why we are called St. Francis Prep,” said Robyn Armon, the director of guidance and college counseling. “We are preparing them for college.” 

Every graduating class has something that stands out, Armon said. For the Class of 2024, it was their re-immersion into the world after beginning their high school career in a virtual environment. 

“Prep has had so many opportunities for everyone. Anything you ever wanted to do, it has something related to it, and I think that it was a really good pathway into finding out what I wanted to do in my future,” said Clara Kamel, attending New York University on a full scholarship.

After a virtual freshman year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kamel immersed herself in the St. Francis Prep community in her sophomore year, taking advantage of its academic and athletic programs. 

She was on the varsity swim team, is a member of the National Honor Society, and spent hours in the art department, which drew her interest to electrical engineering, now her major in college. 

“Prep is one of the greatest schools I could have gone to. When I say I miss high school, I will mean it,” Kamel said.