Westminster Celebrates 122nd Commencement

Westminster School celebrated the graduation of 111 students in the Class of 2010 at its 122nd commencement exercises May 30.

The keynote speaker was Headmaster Graham Cole, who is retiring in June, at the end of his 17 years leading Westminster and his 37th year in secondary education. He spoke to the graduating seniors about the role of surprise in shaping people’s hopes and plans. “Life will throw things at you that you will not be able to predict or control,” he explained. “But what you can control is who you are along the way. What you can control is the degree of commitment, compassion, energy and character that you bring to your journey. You can shape what kind of person you want to be, and in the end, that persona, that character is the surest home that you will ever have.”

Sixth Former Vadimir Bok, a Davis Scholar from the Czech Republic, gave the outstanding scholar address. “Before coming to Westminster, I thought that wisdom was defined by our grades, our recommendations, internships, standardized scores and our ability to communicate,” he said. “Now, I can see that all the knowledge in the world has no meaning, no relevance, if the life we have led is lost to the process, instead of acting as its reason. That is what wisdom means to me now.”

And Head Prefect Cris Gomez in his salutatory address talked about how the people and common sentiment of family make Westminster different. “Class of 2010, we are a family and we must not forget. I only hope for you that wherever you go next year, or wherever you end up later on, that you will find a place like Westminster and another family like the one we have here on Williams Hill,” he said.

Following the addresses and the announcements of numerous faculty and student awards, Headmaster Cole and Chairman of the Westminster Board of Trustees John Armour ’76 presented diplomas to the graduates. Members of the Class of 2010 then participated in the Westminster tradition of passing their diplomas. They formed a circle on the Senior Lawn and passed the diplomas they received randomly during the commencement ceremony until they received their own diplomas. They then stepped out of the circle signifying their graduation.