Westminster Celebrates 123rd Commencement

Westminster celebrated the graduation of 110 students in the Class of 2011 at its 123rd commencement exercises May 29 on commencement lawn.

“We gather as a school family today to congratulate the Class of 2011, to salute those who have excelled in the different realms of school life, to thank those who have made this achievement possible and to say farewell to those who soon depart our school community,” said Headmaster Bill Philip in welcoming everyone to the ceremony.

In his salutatory address, Head Prefect Matthew Leach encouraged his classmates to “remember how along the way, we went from classmates to teammates and finally to friends for life.” He added that, “We move on, but Westminster abides both here on Williams Hill and of course in our hearts. In the evening of our memory, always we will come back to Westminster.”

After numerous prizes were awarded, Kathryn Griffith, in her outstanding scholar address, talked about growing up on Williams Hill and how grateful she was for getting involved in numerous school activities. “I wouldn’t have done those and other things if all Westminster required of me was a grade point average,” she said. “Now I know that part of my education is pushing beyond comfortable boundaries.” She also talked about taking an art history class this year and finding her passion while visiting the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angles in Assisi on a school trip to Italy in the spring. “I felt then and there that moments like this were why I spent so much time learning throughout my high school career. This is what an education is meant to do: to cultivate in us a passion – a commitment to something bigger than ourselves. Westminster taught us to embrace our passions. We leave Westminster ready to pursue them wherever they may take us.”

The keynote speaker was Paul Oliver ’67, a principal with Wimberly & Lawson, Attorneys at Law in Atlanta, Ga., who spoke to the graduates about his experience as an African American growing up in the segregated South and having an opportunity to attend Westminster during his Fifth and Sixth Form years.

“While in those years, 1965-1967, there was tremendous civil unrest and societal turmoil, on the Westminster campus, I experienced a nurturing environment where, for the first time, I knew no discrimination,” he said. “I learned a great deal from Westminster about the importance of respect for others, of the importance of hard work and the significance of having an institutional commitment to human development and justice.”

After graduating from Westminster, Paul earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He concentrates his legal practice in the areas of management employment law and litigation, and has a long track record of jury trial victories in both state and federal courts. He is also an adjunct professor of litigation at Georgia State University.

“I hope that you, like Westminster, will not let your passion be stilled by what is the norm, ” he told the graduates, “but be independent thinkers willing to risk a little for the betterment of society. You must judge yourselves not just by how well you perform academically, or in your jobs, but how you treat other people and address inequities. The greatest lesson that I hope you have learned in your experience at Westminster is that you will enrich your own lives when you reach out to help others who need and deserve that help.”

Headmaster Bill Philip and Chairman of the Westminster Board of Trustees John Armour presented diplomas to the graduates. Following the ceremony, members of the Class of 2011 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.

The Class of 2011 achieved outstanding college placement results with 92 percent of them earning admission to colleges ranked in the top two categories of selectivity in "Barron’s Profiles of Colleges and Universities" and 66 percent admitted to colleges and universities ranked in the most selective category.