Congratulations to our newest graduates, the Class of 2025, who celebrated the final milestone in their Dwight educational journeys at Commencement last week.

Fifteen students among them have been part of our community since kindergarten or earlier, and are now members of what we affectionately call our 13-Year Club — many have actually been Dwight Lions for a whopping 16 years(*)!

• Ilya Bromberg '25
• Grace Capiraso '25*
• Maya Clare '25
• Lulu Deyer '25*
• Owen Gallagher '25*
• Brendan Kelleher '25*
• Mikey Kessler '25*
• Jamie Knox '25*
• Neil Kush '25*
• Rainy Milligan '25*
• Jonah Pintoff '25*
• Danielle Reische '25
• Nika Soukhopalova-Demirjian '25*
• Ava Stratopoulos '25*
• Chloe Won '25

These “Dwight lifers” have shared a history as long-standing classmates, and before they embark down their own paths, we asked them about their favorite memories during their time at Dwight. Here’s what some of them had to say:

Grace Capiraso

My favorite memory was winning the ISAL championship with my volleyball team and all jumping up and down together holding the trophy.

Maya Clare

My favorite memory of Dwight is the countless Fridays I spent playing dodgeball after school in Timothy House with my friends, classmates, Mr. Panahi, and Mr. Presti.

Lulu Deyer 

My favorite memory is definitely the times that were spent in the library. When everyone helped each other on the test, and the teamwork and familial sense of that space was really nice. 

Owen Gallagher

My favorite memory would be fifth grade trips to Hippo Park with all my friends.

Brendan Kelleher

My Spanish class in fifth grade, that whole class was my favorite memory. Just singing together, it was a fun class.

Mikey Kessler

Playing guitar with the Dwight Rock Band at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

Jamie Knox

Fencing has been an important part of my life ever since I was introduced to it at Dwight in the first grade After-School Program. While I will always fondly remember these early years, I am especially proud of helping launch the Varsity Team in ninth grade. This year, we won the NYSAIS Championships, and I was honored to join my teammates on the individual and team podiums. Sharing this victory with my teammates will always be a favorite memory, both as an athlete and as a member of the Dwight Community.

Neil Kush

I really enjoyed the trips that we took together as a class, both in elementary school and some of the History trips we’ve done in the last couple of years.

Rainy Milligan

Dodgeball with Mr. Presti, and Ms. Ryan’s science classes throughout Middle School.

Jonah Pintoff

I have enjoyed going to the Moving Up Ceremony each year, and finally getting to hear my grade announced as seniors. I can look back on my participation as a kindergartener, and was proud to see my friends getting to hold the banner on stage for the last time.

Danielle Reische

My favorite memory from Dwight is the Halloween parade, when all the Timothy House students came together every year dressed in fun costumes and walked around the block to show them off to the parents. I’ll always remember how special it felt to celebrate together and be part of something so festive and memorable.

Nika Soukhopalova-Demirjian

One of my favorite memories from being a lifer is probably the trip to Greenkill at the YMCA upstate and getting stuck in traffic for a bunch of hours.

Ava Stratopoulos

In ninth grade, when we had our orientation trip to Coney Island, that’s how I met a lot of my new friends that I have today. It was really nice to meet new people. It was just a really wholesome experience for everyone.

Chloe Won

One of my favorite memories at Dwight has been my time with the Mock Trial team, from the really long hours that we spend at school, to the really long trials that we have at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. We’ve just gotten really close that way, and I got to meet a lot of people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.