By Jeff Miller
Special to The Texas Catholic
When asked to describe Bishop Dunne Catholic School’s graduation ceremony held May 22 at Concord Church in Dallas, senior Ryder Smith mentioned the final time of engaging with classmates and teachers backstage, the sound of the applause from family and friends when the class took their seats, and the speeches given by students like valedictorian Bryce Mills and salutatorian Allison Smith.
“It was a really good day,” he said.
Smith failed to mention which senior learned that night of being named the Class of 2026’s Outstanding Graduate — one Ryder Smith.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” he said. The honor was the most prestigious of the school’s Golden Falcon awards that he received, the five others being for (alphabetically) advanced placement, campus ministry, math, social studies, and spirit.
“He’s not attention seeking. He does everything for the greater good,” said Julie Coxe, who taught Smith’s literature and English classes in seventh and eighth grade and has remained close with him during his high school years. “Even at that age he was a natural leader.”
Smith served as middle school student council president before serving as president of the National Junior Honor Society in ninth grade.
Smith’s family has lived in Ellis County since 2010, and he attended St. Joseph Catholic School in Waxahachie before enrolling at Dunne in the sixth grade, putting him on the path of what the school calls its “7-Year Advantage,” unique among diocesan schools.
He said beyond being named Outstanding Graduate, he was particularly proud to receive the Golden Falcon for campus ministry. He served as head sacristan this past year, coordinating servers for Dunne’s daily Masses and setting up the sacristy.
“I poured my heart into campus ministry,” Smith said.
“He’s filled with the charism of the Holy Spirit, doing things quietly for others,” said first-year Dunne theology teacher Joseph Burke, who facilitates campus ministry. “He’s always been there for Bishop Dunne no matter what we asked of him.
“Ryder has always led very quietly. Everybody knows Ryder, but I don’t think they know the depth of his service to the school.”
Burke, who previously spent 26 years at Joliet Catholic Academy in Chicago, noted that Smith exceeded expectations when fulfilling a service project at his old school in Waxahachie.
“There’s a great saying by Thérèse of Lisieux: ‘It’s not in doing extraordinary things; it’s doing ordinary things with extraordinary love,’” Burke said.
Smith will follow in his parents’ footsteps and attend Texas A&M University. He plans to study meteorology and join the Corps of Cadets with the goal of becoming a pilot in either the U.S. Navy or Air Force.
“I figure having to fly a plane has something to do with knowing the weather and how to predict it,” he said, and meteorology would be a solid fallback option.
Smith said he has received a full, four-year scholarship via Naval ROTC in exchange for active-duty service after graduation. Only days after the ceremony, he traveled to boot camp in Chicago.
Coxe said aptly: “He’s just going to soar.”
Cutline for featured image: Ryder Smith, center, accepts a Golden Falcon award from Bishop Dunne Catholic School Principal Stephen Guerrero, left, and President Gabe Moreno during the school’s commencement ceremony May 22 at Concord Church. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
