Mercersburg Celebrates 114th Commencement
Mercersburg Academy conferred diplomas upon 128 members of the Class of
2007 Saturday, June 2, as part of its 114th commencement
exercises.
(See photos of Commencement 2007.)Members
of the graduating class plan to enroll at 93 different colleges and
universities. Dickinson College and the United States Naval Academy are
the most popular destinations of this year’s graduates (five apiece).
Other institutions represented include Duke University, Columbia
University, Northwestern University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
the University of Southern California, Carnegie Mellon University, and
Sewanee.
Graduates received their diplomas from Head
of School Douglas Hale and Board of Regents President Denise M. Dupre
’76.
Yea
Eun Kwak of Northbrook, Illinois, was valedictorian of the class; Chuck
Roberts of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, was salutatorian. The Nevin Orator
was Tyler Small of Nashport, Ohio, and the Class Orator was Alex Gekas
of Frederick, Maryland. Class President Ryan Colby of Birdsboro,
Pennsylvania, gave the welcome; Samantha Schroer and Tim Rahauser, both
of Mercersburg, offered the invocation and benediction, respectively.
Andrew Graham of Gibson Island, Maryland, and Madi McConnell of
Blairsville, Pennsylvania, served as Class Marshals.
Dick
Cass ’64, president of the National Football League’s Baltimore Ravens
and a former member of the Academy’s Board of Regents, gave the
commencement address.
(Read
the transcript of Cass's speech.)While
referencing Robert Frost’s famous poem “The Road Not Taken,” Cass
advised the graduating class to “not be in a hurry” to choose a path.
“If you arrive at two roads in a wood, take one for a while, and then
turn around, go back and take the second road,” Cass said. “Indeed,
there may be three or four or five roads you need to
try.
“Whatever
road you may take, you will be well-prepared because of your experience
here at Mercersburg,” he continued. “You should not underestimate the
usefulness of what you have experienced here as a platform for dealing
with the difficult issues that will undoubtedly come your way in the
years ahead. In ways you cannot imagine, your Mercersburg experience
will return again and again to serve you
well.”
Honorary
diplomas were awarded to longtime Mercersburg faculty member Donald D.
Hill and Mercersburg resident Robert L. “Cornie” Watson. Hill, who will
retire in November, has spent 37 years at Mercersburg as a teacher,
coach, director of admission, and assistant head of school for external
affairs. Watson, 92, a World War II veteran and lifelong resident of
Mercersburg’s Fayette Street community, received his honorary degree
May 25.
On Friday, June 1, retiring faculty member
Suzanne
Wootton was the featured speaker at the Academy’s baccalaureate
ceremony in the Irvine Memorial Chapel. Wootton, who came to
Mercersburg in 1985, taught English and worked with students in the
college counseling department. A former winner of the Alan Zern Award
for Excellence in Teaching, she was the first recipient of the Mary
Keeler Lawrence Distinguished Teaching Chair.
(Read the
transcript of Wootton's speech.)Quotes
from commencement day:
“As we look back on our time
spent on a hill in south-central Pennsylvania, we can only be
thankful.”
Chuck Roberts ’07,
salutatorian
“Mercersburg, in many ways, has been a
stage—a foundation where we have grown, lived, and
learned.”
Alex Gekas ’07, Class
Orator
“Go confidently in the direction of your
dreams, and live the life you’ve imagined.”
--Denise Dupre
’76, president of the Board of Regents
“All the
great moments I’ve had here could never be replaced—and I’m so thankful
for them.”
Tyler Small ’07, Nevin
Orator
“Be proud of all you’ve accomplished, and be
proud of the place where you’ve accomplished it.”
Douglas
Hale, head of school
“As
we move forward, I hope that everyone in this class transcends narrow
national identities and finds his or her niche on the international
stage.”
Yea Eun Kwak, valedictorian