Berkeley High School friends and families packed into the Donahue Gym bleachers on Friday, May 29, 2026, for the Berkeley International High School (BIHS) graduation ceremony.
Graduates Felix Waterman and Zoe Whitman MCed the event, kicking off the evening with a greeting to the audience.
Several graduates performed musical pieces throughout the ceremony. Armana Aradom, Noe Gaspar Galvan, and Hani Khayatei Houssaini played “Just the Two of Us.” Solana Schwarzinger-Reuter sang “Je Seraai” (I Will Be) in French. Avi Neta delivered a rendition of John Cage’s “4 '33” in which for four minutes and 33 seconds, Neta played no intentional notes, which was met with heavy applause and laughter from the audience.
Others reflected on their experience or shared their messages of advice to their fellow graduates, “In the wake of the next challenges that life gives, I want to encourage all of us to think for ourselves, find people who push us, and do hard things,” Carina Nottingham said. “This program allows us to gain expertise in areas we care about, while also pushing us to become confident in subjects and situations that feel uncomfortable or challenging,” Aradom said.
The graduates collected their sashes and exchanged a few words with their teachers before Miles Dubinsky and Xiomara Paraiso-Caceres were awarded the Kalpna Mistry Scholarship, which recognizes seniors who help make BHS “a better, more compassionate, kind place.”
The ceremony then concluded with a final message from the student MCs. “Our time in BHS has come to an end, and a new chapter is beginning,” Waterman said.