Tag Archives: graduation

Williston Graduates 124 Members of the Class of 2017

Senior class president Natalie Aquadro prepares to lead her class beneath the tent for Commencement.

On a cool gray Sunday, as the rain held off, 124 students graduated from the Williston Northampton School during its 176th Commencement exercises. Graduates, their classmates, faculty, families, trustees, and special guests gathered on May 28, 2017, under a white tent on the Quad to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2017. (See the video here.) (See photos here.)

Head of School Robert W. Hill III presided over the event by comparing graduating high school to a much-watched YouTube video of a sea lion pulling a toddler into the sea (the toddler, and her dad, who rescued her, were fine). (Read his amusing—and poignant—remarks here.) Mr. Hill also introduced his mentor from his Middlebury College days, keynote speaker John McCardell Jr., the vice-chancellor of The University of the South and president emeritus of Middlebury College. Continue reading

Message to Seniors: Be Courageous

Be courageous, speakers told the Class of 2012 during The Williston Northampton School’s 171st Commencement on June 2. As rain fell outside the Athletic Center, and the graduates prepared to open a new chapter in their lives, commencement speakers reminded them to always have the courage to do the right thing, the courage to persist, and the courage to stand up for their ideals.

“You will scatter across the globe, to new and unfamiliar pathways,” said Head of School Robert W. Hill during his opening remarks. “It’s going to take courage for you to maintain the kind of spirit you have shown here.”

Hill reminded seniors about what they had learned at Williston—to welcome a diversity of ideas, to be self-reflective, to be good people. He urged students to continue to express their passions and their integrity even beyond the sanctuary of the school.

“Courage motivates you to step in others’ shoes, to do the right thing when no one is looking or to cut a new pathway,” he said.

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