With white dresses, white gladiolas, boutonnières, suits and ties, countless smiles and hugs, and red diplomas in hand, the Class of 2019 celebrated their final, official day at Colorado Academy.
Chair of the Board of Trustees at CA, David Jones ‘95, set the tone for the morning by asking everyone to be present in the moment.
“Look out at the faces of your family and those who’ve come here to support you,” Jones said. “Turn your eyes to your friends, many of whom have been by your side since you were little kids and some of whom will still be shoulder-to-shoulder with you decades from now. Take some mental pictures of this moment—save some images you’ll still see years from now, when you close your eyes.”
Head of School Mike Davis, PhD, spoke from the perspective of the climber and historian he is and asked the students, “What kind of person do you want to be?” Read Dr. Davis’s entire speech here.
Chosen by her Senior class peers to speak, Jane Doherty celebrated “the words that define how this class has lifted each other up, made each other laugh, how we’ve worked hard and grown together, and found our own voices during our time at Colorado Academy.”
“If I may offer some parting advice, I’d like to echo what our parents have been telling us for ages: “Use your words,” Doherty said. “But with one very important precondition: that your words be guided by your inner voice. And whatever that may be, whatever that inner voice is saying, own it, and please, do us all the favor of sharing it with us.
“Only when what we express is aligned with what we know to be true, do our words begin to have a real impact on others, only then are we doing this magical power of communication justice. So Class of 2019, let’s go out and use our words, use them honestly and wisely. I’m confident that we all will.”
With a surprise appearance by Lucy, the Davis family dog, who wandered across the Welborn lawn looking for her master (“You know it’s a special graduating class when my dog decides to attend,” Dr. Davis quipped.), and with beautiful weather, this Commencement reflected the very nature of the Class of 2019—lovely and memorable.
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