One hundred twelve members of the class of 2019 crossed the stage on May 25, 2019, during Williston Northampton School’s 178th Commencement. After processing under the large tent to the music of bagpipers and drummers, they sat among their peers, among faculty, staff, and among friends and families. Girls dressed in white and held red roses; boys wore suits and had white roses pinned to their lapels. Video of the full ceremony is at this link.
Head of School Robert W. Hill III introduced Commencement speaker Ann Dowd ’74, who won a Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her role as Aunt Lydia in Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and has worked for 30 years as an actor. (See her speech here. Read her remarks here.) Dowd gave graduates advice and encouragement, and politely nudged them to use good manners. She urged them find work that thrills them, a task she herself undertook as a young college student, deciding to become an actress after leaving aside a career as a surgeon.
“Your job is to find your love story, and by love story I mean your love for the work that you do,” she said.
Simon Kim ’19 gave the senior speech (watch it here), a talk peppered with humor. He spoke about the resistance he felt on his first night at Williston, a feeling of worry and a disinclination to stay at the school. But, having elected to stay, he said, he grew intertwined with the students and the culture. “We cannot leave you, Williston. Because we have become a part of your story, and you of ours.”
Cum Laude Secretary Beatrice Cody read the names of 12 students who were inducted into the honor society. They are:
- Graham Allardyce
- Nicholas C. Barber
- Rachel C. Burke
- Seoyoung Cho
- Erin M. Daley
- Madeleine T. Elsea
- Claire M. Harrison
- Kohmei Kadoya
- Insoo Kang
- Artur Lysyuk
- James N. White
- Eleanor R. Wolfe
They followed the 10 students who were welcomed into the society in January:
- Dora Gordon
- Robert A. Hill
- Seungwoo Kim
- Aidan C. McCreary
- Donald J. Poulin
- Jiacheng Shen
- Caleb M. Stern
- Qixuan Wang
- Emily Warren
- Trix Willems
Mr. Hill also congratulated recipients of Academic Awards, presented the previous day (see the list here).
Photos of the event are at this link.