<b>Commencement 2008</b>
Millbrook's 77th Commencement Exercises have come to a close after fond farewells to seventy-one Millbrook graduates in the Class of 2008.
Many tears were shed, but they were mostly tears of joy, celebration, and deep pride in accomplishments achieved sprinkled with a few drops of nostalgia settling in before the closing ceremonies were yet complete.
The Class of 2008 certainly has much to be proud of: ten Cum Laude inductees, a creative and thoughtful senior class gift (refurbishing of the Student Center) that required hands-on "sweat equity" from the students, a language prize recipient that is the first Millbrook graduate ever to complete both AP Spanish and AP French, and many special award winners including eight four-year varsity letter winners, nine senior art award winners, four Blaine finalists, dual winners of both the Community Service Cup and the Class of 1978 Award, and twelve multiple-prize winners.
On the evening of Saturday, May 24th, following a warm welcome by Headmaster Drew Casertano and the introduction of incoming Student Council President Jimi Heffernan, Prize Night 2008 was underway with families, friends, faculty, and underformers in attendance. Prizes were awarded to seniors as follows:
Frederick W. Knutson Trophies: Kirk Baldo and Devin Hardy
McSweeney Tour Guide Award: Mimi Anthony and Chris Bennett
Class of 1978 Award: Allie Ehrenreich and Jin Soo Han
English Writing Prize: Joanna Ehrenreich
Sykes Mathematics Prize: Jin Soo Han
Clark Language Prize: JJ Katz-Samuels
Frank W. Trevor Cup: Lucy Von Reusner
Science Prize: Andrew Jeon
Blaine History Essay Prize: Joanna Ehrenreich (finalists included Abby Magovern, Claire Bould, and Lucy Von Reusner)
Cum Laude: Race Bottini, Claire Bould, Allie Ehrenreich, Joanna Ehrenreich, Stephanie Foster, Jin Soo Han, Devin Hardy, JJ Katz-Samuels, Julianna Kreta, and Lucy Von Reusner
Four-Year Varsity Letter Awards:
Mimi Anthony (field hockey)
Sam Bailey (soccer)
Anna Corey (riding)
Allie Ehrenreich (softball)
Joanna Ehrenreich (softball and cross country)
Devin Hardy (ice hockey and soccer)
Kealin Maloney (ice hockey)
Arielle Watlington (softball)
Senior Art Awards:
Visual Arts - Anna Corey, Julianna Kreta, and Kelsey Reifler
Photography - Andrew Jeon and Zoe Townsend
Instrumental Music - Matt Coppola, Win Haas, Da Reum Nam
Ceramics - Joanna Ehrenreich
Click here to view a slide show of the prize recipients.
Click here to view a slide show of graduation day.
Sunday morning, seniors awoke early to join members of the Alumni Office for breakfast in Pulling House where they received their Tiffany pendants and graduation ties. After a senior class picture on the Durand Quad, the graduates mingled with friends and family before lining up behind the bagpiper for the processional.
Our very own Cam Hardy, Associate Director of College Counseling, a seminarian at Yale Divinity School, and mother of graduate Devin Hardy, delivered a beautiful invocation before Board of Trustees Chair William McNamara '75 welcomed a crowd of close to one-thousand. We were fortunate to have William F. Weld, governor of Massachusetts from 1991-1997 and uncle to Will Weld '08 and Amanda Weld '11, address the graduates and audience, speaking to a continuing sense of wonder and a spirit of adventure that he hopes our most recent alumni will carry away from Millbrook and maintain long after graduation. Mr. Weld's speech can be read in its entirely by following this link.
Matthew Coppola '08 was next at the poduim, honored as the Sixth Form Commencement Speaker; nominated by his classmates, he delivered a humorous, thoughtful, and touching speech which can be read here. Before diplomas were handed out to the entire class, three special awards were presented: Leisy Ruddock received the Sportsmanship Cup, Joanna Ehrenreich and Leisy Ruddock received the Community Service Cup, and Jin Soo Han was named the Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Class of 2008.
In closing, the Millbrook Community Chorus performed "The Road Not Taken" before Headmaster Drew Casertano bade farewell and well wishes (read his closing remarks) and Cam Hardy offered a beautiful benediction full of memories from the Class of 2008.
Many thanks to Barbara Gatski and Betty Siegenthaler for their leadership in organizing this wonderful commencement weekend and to the many faculty and staff that assisted in the preparation, set up and clean up. Finally, congratulations to the Class of 2008 for their many accomplishments!
Back
Many tears were shed, but they were mostly tears of joy, celebration, and deep pride in accomplishments achieved sprinkled with a few drops of nostalgia settling in before the closing ceremonies were yet complete.
The Class of 2008 certainly has much to be proud of: ten Cum Laude inductees, a creative and thoughtful senior class gift (refurbishing of the Student Center) that required hands-on "sweat equity" from the students, a language prize recipient that is the first Millbrook graduate ever to complete both AP Spanish and AP French, and many special award winners including eight four-year varsity letter winners, nine senior art award winners, four Blaine finalists, dual winners of both the Community Service Cup and the Class of 1978 Award, and twelve multiple-prize winners.
On the evening of Saturday, May 24th, following a warm welcome by Headmaster Drew Casertano and the introduction of incoming Student Council President Jimi Heffernan, Prize Night 2008 was underway with families, friends, faculty, and underformers in attendance. Prizes were awarded to seniors as follows:
Frederick W. Knutson Trophies: Kirk Baldo and Devin Hardy
McSweeney Tour Guide Award: Mimi Anthony and Chris Bennett
Class of 1978 Award: Allie Ehrenreich and Jin Soo Han
English Writing Prize: Joanna Ehrenreich
Sykes Mathematics Prize: Jin Soo Han
Clark Language Prize: JJ Katz-Samuels
Frank W. Trevor Cup: Lucy Von Reusner
Science Prize: Andrew Jeon
Blaine History Essay Prize: Joanna Ehrenreich (finalists included Abby Magovern, Claire Bould, and Lucy Von Reusner)
Cum Laude: Race Bottini, Claire Bould, Allie Ehrenreich, Joanna Ehrenreich, Stephanie Foster, Jin Soo Han, Devin Hardy, JJ Katz-Samuels, Julianna Kreta, and Lucy Von Reusner
Four-Year Varsity Letter Awards:
Mimi Anthony (field hockey)
Sam Bailey (soccer)
Anna Corey (riding)
Allie Ehrenreich (softball)
Joanna Ehrenreich (softball and cross country)
Devin Hardy (ice hockey and soccer)
Kealin Maloney (ice hockey)
Arielle Watlington (softball)
Senior Art Awards:
Visual Arts - Anna Corey, Julianna Kreta, and Kelsey Reifler
Photography - Andrew Jeon and Zoe Townsend
Instrumental Music - Matt Coppola, Win Haas, Da Reum Nam
Ceramics - Joanna Ehrenreich
Click here to view a slide show of the prize recipients.
Click here to view a slide show of graduation day.
Sunday morning, seniors awoke early to join members of the Alumni Office for breakfast in Pulling House where they received their Tiffany pendants and graduation ties. After a senior class picture on the Durand Quad, the graduates mingled with friends and family before lining up behind the bagpiper for the processional.
Our very own Cam Hardy, Associate Director of College Counseling, a seminarian at Yale Divinity School, and mother of graduate Devin Hardy, delivered a beautiful invocation before Board of Trustees Chair William McNamara '75 welcomed a crowd of close to one-thousand. We were fortunate to have William F. Weld, governor of Massachusetts from 1991-1997 and uncle to Will Weld '08 and Amanda Weld '11, address the graduates and audience, speaking to a continuing sense of wonder and a spirit of adventure that he hopes our most recent alumni will carry away from Millbrook and maintain long after graduation. Mr. Weld's speech can be read in its entirely by following this link.
Matthew Coppola '08 was next at the poduim, honored as the Sixth Form Commencement Speaker; nominated by his classmates, he delivered a humorous, thoughtful, and touching speech which can be read here. Before diplomas were handed out to the entire class, three special awards were presented: Leisy Ruddock received the Sportsmanship Cup, Joanna Ehrenreich and Leisy Ruddock received the Community Service Cup, and Jin Soo Han was named the Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Class of 2008.
In closing, the Millbrook Community Chorus performed "The Road Not Taken" before Headmaster Drew Casertano bade farewell and well wishes (read his closing remarks) and Cam Hardy offered a beautiful benediction full of memories from the Class of 2008.
Many thanks to Barbara Gatski and Betty Siegenthaler for their leadership in organizing this wonderful commencement weekend and to the many faculty and staff that assisted in the preparation, set up and clean up. Finally, congratulations to the Class of 2008 for their many accomplishments!
