Class of 2018 Graduates from Westminster

Westminster School celebrated the graduation of 113 students at commencement exercises May 26. Headmaster Bill Philip welcomed family members and friends of the graduates, and spoke about the impressive talents of the graduates and the school’s extraordinary year. “This year, our Admissions Office processed over 1,000 applications for 120 openings,” he said. “In College Counseling, 85 percent of the members of the Class of 2018 were admitted to colleges ranked in the “most” and “highly” selective categories in Barron’s Profiles of Colleges and Universities.” He also said that with one month remaining, The Westminster Fund has already raised more than $4 million to support the people and programs that distinguish the school.    

 

He recognized the longtime contributions to the Westminster community by retiring faculty members Peter Briggs ’71, P’01, ’05, ’07 and Tom Earl P’93, ’98, ’03, ’06. “Combined they have served Westminster School for 84 years,” he said.

 

The keynote speaker was Kendall Hoyt ’89, assistant professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and lecturer in the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. She shared advice about how the graduates can make the next four years at college transformative. “I teach at Dartmouth, so I see firsthand what it looks like when students are making the most of their experience and when they are not, so I am going to tell you three things I wish I could have said to all of my students before they started.” She cited “beliefs are hypotheses to be tested, not treasurers to be guarded,” “the world deserves your long-form attention” and “discover what lights you up.” She said that throughout her career, she has paid attention to the ideas, problems and questions that are so compelling that they don’t feel like work. “Those lights or ‘stars’ when they appear offer a fixed point for navigation, and that has served me well. College will reveal an entire constellation of stars for you. When you encounter something that knocks your socks off, pay attention to that, even it if wasn’t part of your original plan.”

 

In her Salutatory Address, head prefect Jessie Schuhlen, a Sixth Former from Longmeadow, Mass., expressed appreciation to the Westminster community in the form of an open letter. “My time here at Westy has truly been something special,” she said. “It’s been four years that have shaped who I am, and ones I can definitely tell you I will never forget. Looking back on my freshman self, the growth that has happened in my life due to Westminster is incredible. I owe a lot to this school, and while I know, like many of you, I am ready for the next chapter, I will miss and always have a special place in my heart for Williams Hill.”

 

In his Outstanding Scholar Address, Sixth Former Connor Seeley, a resident of Avon, Conn., advised his classmates to “get lost” and explained its various meanings. “If you don’t wander outside your normal routine, how can you expect to change?” he said. “College is big and its scary, but you need to just throw yourselves out there. Get lost in the clubs, friendships and support waiting for you.” He encouraged them to “take what you love, in college and beyond, and go with it and succeed in it. Chances are someone is going to witness your greatness and be inspired to better themselves because of it.”

 

 

The following faculty members and students received awards:

Sara Anderson P’14

Kathleen Devaney P’19

Amy Stevens P’07, ’09, ’12

 

This chair is awarded every five years to a “distinguished teacher whose performance sets a standard of excellence for others.”

Mary Pat Grizmacher

 

The Swayze Award:              

Presented annually in honor of distinguished alumnus, trustee and former chairman of the Board of Trustees Townsend Swayze ’55, this award is given to a member of the faculty for outstanding contributions to the life of the school.

Paul Kendall

 

The O’Brien Award:             

This award is presented annually in honor of Marianna and Junie O’Brien P’81, who devoted their lives in service to young people and to schools. It recognizes a member of the faculty who has, over the course of the year, been especially selfless and generous with time and care in the nurture and support of students and whose extraordinary, ongoing personal commitment to young people sets an example to the Westminster community.

A-men Rasheed

Nadia Lee ’18

Amanda Liu ’18

 

Ilaria Quentin ’18 

Jessica Schuhlen ’18 and Chloe Sealy ’18

Porter Girty ’18

Teagan Stedman ’18 and Sixiang Gao ’18

Sixiang Gao ’18

Sixiang Gao ’18

 

Sixiang Gao ’18 and Vlad Ivanchuk ’19

John Kuzminskas ’18

 

Yuna Lee ’19 and Sofia Raymond ’19

 

Jordan Clapprood ’18

Ozlem Kutluel ’18

Michael Riberdy ’18 and Xinyi Zhang ’18

 

Sixiang Gao ’18

Michael Fiorini ’18

Sean Ryan ’18

 

First in the Sixth Form: Sixiang Gao

Second in the Sixth Form: Connor Seeley

Third in the Sixth Form: Michael Fiorini and Teagan Stedman

                 

The faculty presents this award to a member of the Third Form for character and leadership.

Simonne Ponce ’21

This award is presented annually to a member of the Fourth Form who best embodies the qualities of Richard and Barbara Adams, who gave devoted service to Westminster for over 40 years, showing outstanding personal qualities and concern for the community and unwavering dedication to students. Barbara served on the faculty from 1995-2011, and Dick served on the faculty from 1970-2013.

Eda Chen ’20

 

This award is presented annually to a member of the Fifth Form who best embodies the qualities of Geoffrey Wilbraham, who gave distinguished and loyal service to Westminster from 1958 to 1994: high personal standards, consistent respect for others, unswerving commitment to the common good, steady insistence on fair play and abiding human decency.

Emmett de Kanter ’19

 

This award is given annually to the Sixth Form boy and girl who best exemplify excellence in athletics and who contributed to the character of the team. It is given in memory of Brian T. Bruyette ’77, who in his enthusiasm, sportsmanship, effort and skills, represented all that is best in this school.

Emma Lange ’18 and Teagan Stedman ’18

This award is given annually to a member of the Sixth Form who exemplifies dedication to academics and loyalty to the school.

Teagan Stedman ’18

 

This book prize is awarded to a Sixth Former who has made an unusual commitment in both breadth and depth to the school’s programs and activities.

Michael Riberdy ’18

 

This award is presented to the Sixth Former who, in the opinion of the faculty, is the outstanding scholar of the class. The award is not necessarily determined by rank in class but is based, rather, on the attributes of the true scholar: curiosity, imagination, power to associate new observations with prior experience, thoroughness, appetite for ideas rather than for grades as an end in themselves and the ability to move easily in the realm of concepts.

Connor Seeley ’18

Established by the Class of 1966 and recognized as the school’s most prestigious commencement award, the Keyes Bowl is presented annually to a member of the Sixth Form and recognizes the qualities of loyalty, courage, leadership and humility.

Lucy Noel ’18

 

Headmaster Philip and Chair of the Board of Trustees Brad Raymond ’85, P’19, ’20, with the assistance of Director of Studies Bill Sistare, presented diplomas to members of the class. The graduates then recessed to participate in the Westminster tradition of passing diplomas on the Sixth Form Lawn. They formed a circle and at the signal of the head prefect, passed the random diplomas they received during the commencement ceremony until they received their own diploma. They then stepped out of the circle signifying their graduation.