StC News

US Commencement Remarks

May, 25, 2018
Good morning and welcome to the 2018 Commencement Exercises at St. Christopher’s School, the 107th Commencement of our storied institution.
 
It is my pleasure to welcome all of you this morning, especially the parents, grandparents, family, and friends of our outstanding Class of 2018.
 
As you can imagine, an event such as this involves many hands and hearts, and I am particularly grateful for the outstanding work of our Upper School Chaplain Whitney Edwards; for Mark Gentry and our entire maintenance team; for our Development Office, especially Cricket O’Connor and Alice Flowers; for our partners at Sage Dining; and also for Laura Brown, Ginger Adamson, Karen Glasco, Cathy Hensby, and Beth Wood. My sincere thanks to everyone who helped us prepare for this special morning.
 
For the faculty of this school, including Extended Day, Lower, Middle, and Upper School, thank you for the manner in which you have raised these young men, helping to shape the fiber of their intellect but also the fabric of their character.
 
I am also grateful to our colleagues at St. Catherine’s School, especially to Head of School Terrie Scheckelhoff, who is here with us this morning, to the Director of Upper School Lara Wulff, and to the entire St. Catherine’s faculty for all that they do to enrich the experiences of our boys here at St. Christopher’s.
 
Parents of the Class of 2018: You deserve special recognition this morning. Thank you, first and foremost, for entrusting these young men into our care. It is a sacred trust, one that the faculty and I do not take lightly. Thank you, also, for supporting this school not just by electing to send your sons here, but in the myriad ways you have made this institution stronger over your years of association with us. Whether it was volunteer service through our Parents Association, serving on a committee or in a leadership capacity of some kind, chaperoning a field trip, or simply showing up at the dozens of sporting events, plays, or musical performances, collectively you all have logged tens of thousands of hours at and for St. Christopher’s, and we are grateful for that. Thank you.  
 
How to summarize and capture the essence of this class, the Class of 2018? On a personal level, this is my sophomore class of seniors, my second group of graduates as Head of St. Christopher’s. Gentlemen, I want to thank you all for helping to loosen me up, for allowing me to be a mellow and easy-going Head compared to the uptight robot I was just one year ago…That was meant to be a joke…
 
In seriousness, gentlemen, I am grateful to you for the gracious manner in which you have led by example this year at St. Christopher’s—sometimes quietly and sometimes vocally. We had our fair share of challenges this year at St. Christopher’s, and I don’t think that I or any Upper School faculty member will soon forget the courage demonstrated by so many of you, particularly in Chapel, when you spoke up about sensitive topics including mental health, race relations, faith, sexual identity, and more.
 
In many ways, gentlemen, you demonstrated for us, the adults of this community, how to have sensible and respectful conversations about topics that seem to divide our nation along intractable lines. The manner in which you led us through these conversations gives me great hope, not just for you and your future, but for the potential of your entire generation. Thank you for inspiring us in this manner.
 
When I think about the accolades of this class, several thoughts come to mind—academic rigor, for sure, with nearly 40% of the class earning AP scholar distinction through their junior year alone and with over 220 acceptances from 76 colleges in 24 states and the District of Columbia, including dozens of acceptances to some of the most highly selective colleges in the country. I think of our senior-laden Battle of the Brains team, which enjoyed our most successful season in nearly 20 years. This class boasts five of the 12 male Lexus Leadership Award recipients, the highest number of male recipients of any public or private high school in the Richmond region, by a wide margin.
 
I think of excellence in the arts, too, with numerous members of this class performing at extremely high levels in both performance and visual arts—our Ampersand crew, Jazz Band, Orchestra, Glee Club, Beaux Ties, plus many of our finest photographers, painters, drawers, and designers, are comprised of an amazing group of seniors that will be difficult to replace next year. On the publications front, this year’s Pine Needle editions have been thoughtful and well designed, as has the Hieroglyphic; both publications have been ably led by a talented cadre of seniors.
 
Athletically, this class has achieved at an extremely high level, leading St. Christopher’s to its third consecutive Director’s Cup title and our sixth in eight years, awarded to that Prep League school boasting the strongest all-around athletic program in the league. Our seniors led us to six Prep League championships and three state titles this year. 15 of our graduates—nearly 20% of the entire class—will go on to compete athletically at the college level.
 
I will remember these accolades, yes, and many more, but let me conclude my remarks by sharing three brief memories of this class, moments that I think encapsulate the varied strengths of this group of young men.
 
Moving chronologically through the school year, I will always treasure the moment this fall when our senior-led football team beat Collegiate, on our home turf, at Homecoming, the first time we had beaten Collegiate at home in 16 years and the first time we had played and beaten them at our own Homecoming in 36 years. I will remember that moment not so much for the win itself—which was outstanding—but for the moments after the win, when players, fans, and family members took to the field in a spontaneous celebration of joy and camaraderie. It was a special moment, made possible by a special group of students.
 
Second, I think of the final Beaux Ties concert of the year, approximately one month ago, in front of a standing-room-only audience at McVey Theater. While the musical acumen of our boys was indeed impressive, what I will recall most from the performance was the unmistakable joy and freedom I witnessed from these young men. Our students demonstrated courage in singing, often as soloists, in front of an audience of hundreds, and they clearly had fun doing it, enjoying each other’s company, as well as the rush so freely provided by participation in a performance art. There were boys performing who, I suspect, will go on to perform in college and perhaps professionally. There were also boys who may have been performing for the last time in that manner—You could barely tell the difference between the two, as every boy sung with gusto and tenacity. I admired all of them.
 
And last, I will remember fondly the group of approximately 50 senior boys who, at their own choosing, decided to spend 30 minutes participating in one last Lower School Chapel earlier this month. The Chapel was led by an outstanding group of seniors, but another 45 or so classmates—many of whom were not even students at St. Christopher’s in the Lower School—opted to join in the service and support those classmates who were participating. It was a reminder to me of the importance of the spiritual life in this community and of Chapel in particular.
 
Gentlemen, thank you for these memories, and for hundreds more, made over years of contribution, camaraderie, and growth here at St. Christopher’s. It is my pleasure to now introduce the Class of 2018 Salutatorian Read William Brown. Thank you.
 
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