Ukrainian refugee graduating from DeMatha said its music program and brotherhood helped him feel at home
Fifteen months after his harrowing escape from Ukraine in the early days of Russia’s invasion of his home country, Ivan Dmytriiev of the class of 2023 at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland stepped forward to receive a top award for graduating seniors following the school’s May 31 Baccalaureate Mass.
His fellow seniors, their parents and other family members, and DeMatha’s faculty and staff at the school’s Lt. (SEAL) Brendan Looney ’99 Convocation Center applauded loudly after it was announced that Ivan was selected to receive the DeMatha Parents Organization Award, presented to a senior who has displayed outstanding motivation, work habits and character. This award is in honor of the fathers and mothers of DeMatha High School students.