Collegiate School Holds Class of 2018 Commencement

5/25/2018

Collegiate School’s 103rd Commencement ceremony took place this morning, and the Class of 2018 shared smiles and tears as its members said a bittersweet goodbye amongst family and friends.

Frank F. Mountcastle III ‘83, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, welcomed families and friends who had assembled on the lawn in front of Flippen Hall.

Mr. Mountcastle talked of past graduations and how, over the years, Collegiate has evolved according to the needs of its students.

“But the values of Honor, Love of Learning, Excellence, Respect and Community were as central years ago as they are today,” he said. “It is our shared values that bind graduates of the past to the Class of 2018.”

He concluded with these words of advice to the graduates.

“Keep our values as a compass that will lead you in your life after Collegiate” he said. “Congratulations on being a Collegiate graduate. It’s a well-earned honor. It’s a great day to be a Cougar.”

Steve Hickman, Head of School, said that this year had been outstanding, and much of the credit goes to the Class of 2018. He spoke of gratitude and how it is the key to tell us how to live.

“We all have a lot to be grateful for,” he said.

However, Mr. Hickman acknowledged that in the midst of the celebration, there was a void. One graduate, Jessica Joseph, was not present, as she has been fighting colon cancer. He read an excerpt from Jessica’s college essay, in which she talked about being lucky to survive each additional day.

“Jessica has given us an extraordinary gift, a a real-life lesson on the transformative power of gratitude,” Mr. Hickman said.

Beth Flippo Hutchins ‘88, President of the Alumni Association Board, introduced the recipients of the 2018 Alumni Awards.

Janet Jarman ‘85, an award-winning photographer and filmmaker and MacArthur Foundation grantee, received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Jay DeVoe ‘82, senior vice president of real estate lending for TowneBank, received the Outstanding Service Award, this year renamed the Alex Smith Service Award in honor of Alex Smith ‘65, Collegiate’s former Vice President of Development, who retired in 2016. Mr. Smith was in attendance and assisted Mrs. Hutchins in handing out the awards.

Before awarding diplomas to the 131 graduates who will enroll in 61 colleges and universities in the fall, Patrick Loach, Head of the Upper School, offered brief remarks.

“Hold our lessons in your heads and our love in your hearts,” he said. “Come back and visit us.”

The diploma of Jessica Joseph was accepted by her brother, Jonah Joseph ‘20.

Honorees from the class of 2018 were:

E. Angus Powell Award: David Hugo

Rosemary Medal: Caroline Hall

Dr. Martha E. Kolbe Award: Ashray Namala

Louise Mattern Coleman Award: Avery Freeman

Charles F. Wiltshire Citizenship Award: Brett Oney

Johnel Tate Poffenberger Award: Emily Mendelson

Each of the valedictorians, Emily Yue, who started Collegiate in Kindergarten, and Taylor Ryckman, who arrived as a 9th Grader, received the Greenbaum Award and delivered a valedictory address. The following are excerpts from their speeches.

Emily Yue

“We, the class of 2018, have gone through challenging times, but one thing I admire most about our class is the unending bank of kindness, gratitude and love that we have for each other. In times of celebration, we rejoiced and we laughed. In times of loss and grief, we came together with strength and unity, and we were unbreakable. No matter what life has thrown at us, we haven’t dwelled on setbacks. We are mentally tough, we push forward relentlessly, and we support each other. For years, we have counted on each other and held onto each other, side by side. With Cougar blood running through our veins, kindness is more than just a choice for us — kindness has been engraved in our hearts and in our actions, and the values that Collegiate has shown and taught us will never escape us.

The education and experiences we have received here at Collegiate are undoubtedly more than we could have ever asked for. But something that we will take away with us is much more than just pure knowledge. From Freshman Service Week to fundraising for hurricane relief, we have learned how to take our Collegiate values and implement them to help the world outside our community. As we leave these halls and go out into the world, we will continue to spread kindness wherever we go. We have been taught to choose kindness.

Class of 2018, I feel so blessed to be a part of such a remarkably gifted, intelligent, athletic, and artistic group of individuals, and I want to thank you for being the most kind-hearted people I have ever known. Our friendship is invaluable, and I know we will continue to be there for each other even after we leave Collegiate.

So, congratulations, Class of 2018. What we have accomplished has made our parents proud and has made their sacrifices well worth it. Now it’s our turn to conquer the world, to travel far and wide, and to make the most of the one life we have to live. But as you do, stay true to yourselves and remember, it is not the gift of cleverness but the choice of kindness that will ultimately define us.”

Taylor Ryckman

“When I first came to Collegiate in 9th Grade, I was scared — I was leaving all of my friends and everything that I had once called normal to come here, an unknown place where I didn’t know anything or anyone. But when I got in my mom’s car on my first official day as a Cougar, I told her something that, to this day, four years later, I still feel: ‘This place feels like home.’ It wasn’t the fancy technology or the beautiful campus that made this School feel like home, it was you, the Class of 2018 and our amazing, dedicated faculty and staff. …You all made me lose sight of any of my initial fears and concerns. I never really felt like the new kid. You have impacted me with your kindness, your acceptance, your enthusiasm, your spirit. You shaped my first days as a Collegiate student and have continued to shape my thoughts and actions over the last four years.

During our time together we have relied on each other and on Collegiate. And Collegiate has been here for us, inspiring us, pushing us, and supporting us.But most importantly, it has prepared us. We are exceptionally fortunate to have been given so many skills that will carry us through this next phase of our lives. We have all seen firsthand how these gifts of passion, kindness and care have impacted us, in the classroom, on the stage and on the field. It is clear that our teachers and coaches have invested their hearts and souls in each of us every single day, and I am so honored to take these parts of them — which are now a part of me — with me on this next phase of my journey. They taught us to never give up, no matter how taxing the problem, no matter how badly we wanted to. They taught us to embrace challenges and face every single one of them with a positive attitude. And all the while, they taught us to let loose and have some fun while we’re at it.

Now, after receiving this truly incredible gift during such a critical part of our lives, our journey here has come to an end. It is now time to look forward; it is now up to us to give back. To give back to the community that has given so much to us. To give back to each other. To give back to whoever we meet next year and beyond. To give back to our families. And to give back to ourselves — we must continue to nurture ourselves the way that Collegiate has, mentally, physically and spiritually.

I know that Collegiate has made me a better person — in fact, it has made us all better people; we are more mature, more driven, more capable, more inspired. So I challenge you and myself to use this maturity, drive, capability and inspiration to share the gifts that we have been so fortunate to receive. Because if each of us gives back even just a fraction of what was given to us throughout our time at this School, we will make an impact. And that is why I am so proud to be graduating on this stage, with this class and, most importantly, as a Cougar.

Also, as part of the 2018 graduation ceremonies, current Collegiate Board of Trustees member Ken Ruscio, who served as the 26th president of Washington and Lee University until 2016, spoke to seniors at their Thursday evening Baccalaureate.

Back