A favorite Commencement tradition turns seven this year.
Commencement 2013 started the way it usually does: Seniors dressed in white. Faculty members lined up in academic robes. Parents eagerly awaiting in the tent. But on that sunny morning, there was something new: each class marched into the tent carrying a brightly colored banner. The three underclass flags were inspired by paintings of iconic Williston vistas by Carrie Rubinstein ’90. The senior banner was created by senior Keely Quirk ’13.
Fast forward to year seven of this now-mature tradition. While the underclass banners remain the same each year, the senior banner gets an annual update from a senior class artist. This year’s banner, designed by Amanda Shen ’19, features a stylized lion profiled against the dramatic orange and red autumn cliffs of Mount Tom. To become the class artist, Shen and other juniors submitted designs in the spring of 2018, and their class voted to pick a favorite image, which first debuted at Convocation last fall.
“I am so grateful that I got to design the senior class banner,” said Shen, who will be attending the University of Pennsylvania. “It was an awesome opportunity to give back to the class of 2019.”
Want to see your class banner in person? Come back to Reunion—classes in Reunion years will see their banners proudly hanging in the tent!