Christchurch School celebrated its 94^th graduation exercises on Saturday, May 30 at 10:00 a.m. under the great Red Oak on Headmaster’s Hill, overlooking the Rappahannock River.

 

Headmaster John E. Byers delivered the commencement address. In what has become a hallmark of the ceremony, he closed by addressing every one of the fifty-nine graduates personally, remarking on the special gifts and talents that each brought to the school community.

 

Mr. Byers began by noting that although the ancient tradition of graduation, with its dark robes in the hot, mid-day sun may seem mismatched with Christchurch School’s progressive outlook on curriculum and program, it is an occasion to honor shared experience and close a chapter together.  “… we place the shiny seal of perfection over an imperfect experience – our time together – because, in sum, the accomplishments symbolized in this moment far outweigh the imperfections of our journey.

 

Let’s talk for a minute about where you go from here. And where you are from.”

Mr. Byers referenced the book Where you Go is Not Who You’ll Be, by Frank Bruni. The point, Byers went on to say, is that your college will not be an automatic creator of the new you. “YOU are in charge of your own destiny. And I hope that one of the many things you’ve learned at Christchurch is this: it is really smart and really good to ask the people around you to help you fully engage in the life of the school.

 

Do these things, 2015: try something new, join a recreational group, play on a team, push yourself harder, take the trip to a strange new place, do the reading, talk with the professor, join the study group, build your network. When you’re at college, go all-in. ALL-IN … sheer determination outweighs everything else.

 

Where you go to college may not define what you’ll become, but I believe that your days on this campus have shaped the person you are today, and how you view the world, and how you interact with others and in communities, and that the time we have spent together most assuredly tells us about the way that you will go about becoming your future self. Not who you’ll be, but how you’ll get there.

 

Self-confidence, curiosity, acceptance, integrity, respect and kindness … our core values. Armed with these, you have the tools to build a life that balances self, community and the world. The built-in tensions you have seen in the sustainability triangle – understanding that the world is complicated and that you have a role in it – more than a role, a responsibility – constitutes wisdom that most high school graduates do not yet have.

 

Where are you from? You’re from Christchurch, and that means something. Today, when you change your social media settings to “graduate” and you change your school affiliation to your college, remember to save a space there in your profile, a proud space, for Christchurch School. You’re from Christchurch. That’s where you’re from. And we’re proud of that.

 

You are our pride and joy, and we love you. Godspeed, 2015.”

 

Mr. Byers, Associate Head of School Dr. Neal Keesee, Board of Governors Chair Thomas Lawler, and President of Church Schools in the Diocese of VA Dr. David Charlton conferred diplomas. Following the ceremony, each graduate rang the bell in the Bell Tower and passed through the faculty receiving line. Graduates then joined underclassmen, families and faculty for the traditional fried chicken picnic.

 

Graduates included Progress Award winner Patrick Michael Dunegan of Manassas; and Chaplain’s Award winner Cristin Alexi Archer of Miami, FL.

 

The school’s highest honor, the Bishop’s Award, went to Dalton James Anderson of WaterView. The Valedictorian’s Award went to Anderson as well, and he delivered the valedictory address, reminding the graduates that life is never truly linear, but is dictated by change. “We have the choice of shaping the change that shapes us, or letting others do it for us. …which will you choose?”

Other awards were presented to seniors the previous evening at the Senior Awards Ceremony.

 

Recipients included the following:

 

Outstanding Student Award (male): Brenton Bray Altaffer of Reedville

Outstanding Student Award (female): Monica Isabel Hurtarte Martinez of Jardines de San Isidro, Guatemala

Best All-Around Male Athlete: Willis Mackey, Jr. of Freeport, Bahamas

Best All-Around Female Athlete: Joy Re-Ann Leonard of Deep Run, NC

Community Service Award: Monica Isabel Hurtarte Martinez

Student Life Award: Alex Spencer Moreno of Ashburn

Sustainability Award: Turner William Teague Thompson of Manteo, NC

The Visual Arts Prize: Noah Richard Johnson of Heathsville

The Science Prize: Dalton James Anderson

The English Prize: Monica Isabel Hurtarte Martinez

The History Prize: Monica Isabel Hurtarte Martinez

The Foreign Language Prize – Spanish: Dalton James Anderson

The Theology Prize: Zetong Jia of Beijing, China

The Mathematics Prize: Shaolong Xue of Hebei Province, China

The Sandra Todd Drama Award: Justina Yaa Boatemaa Adarkwah of Accra, Ghana

The Music Award: David James Treakle of Irvington

 

 

Christchurch School will hold its 94^th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 30 at 10:00 a.m. on Headmaster’s Lawn. Mr. John E. Byers, Headmaster, will speak. The traditional fried chicken picnic luncheon for graduates, underclassmen, parents, families, and the Christchurch School community will follow.

 

This year’s valedictorian is Dalton James Anderson, son of Jerry and Jody Anderson of Water View. Dalton will attend the University of Virginia.

 

There are fifty-nine students in the Class of 2015. The other candidates for graduation are Justina Yaa Boatemaa Adarkwah of Accra Ghana; Brenton Bray Altaffer of Reedville; Cristin Alexi Archer of Miami, FL; William Phillip Atkins of Fredericksburg; Ikenna Sorensen Azubike of Mitchellville, MD; Dean Thomas Bethel of Grand Bahama, Bahamas; Yingyan Cai of Shanghai, China; Annabel Stuart Carrington of White Stone; Samuel Demetrios Critides III of Pensacola, FL; Owen Arthur Curry of Gloucester; Patrick Michael Dunegan of Manassas; John Morton Elkin III of Urbanna; William Tucker Fitzhugh of Richmond and DaQuon Morgan-Malik Frisby of Richmond.

 

Also, Wellington Goddin III of Alexandria; John Furet Gorsline of Richmond; Andrew Marcus Ryan Hennis of Richmond; Anne Victoria Hodgkins of Fairfax; Monica Isabel Hurtarte Martinex of Guatemala; Mariah Rae Jayne of White Stone; Zetong Jia of Beijing, China; Noah Richard Johnson of Heathsville; Trayvon Shamir Miquel Johnson of Freeport, Bahamas; Tae Yoon Lee of Seoul, Korea; Joy Re-Ann Leonard of Deep Run, NC; Fernando Rontae Lewis Jr. of Newport News; Lu Liu of Qingdao, China; Zixing Li of Qingdao, China and Willis Mackey Jr. of Freeport, Bahamas.

 

Also, Elizabeth Grace Maguire of Richmond; Patrick John McDaid of Newport, RI; Miles Nicholas McGillivary of London, England; Zachary John McLatchy of Wilmington, NC; Max Brent Lee Monical of Brownsville, TC; Anna Leigh Moore of Saluda; Alex Spencer Moreno of Ashburn; Connor Luke Mulherin of Leesburg; Tapiwa Chiwoneso Honor Musapatike of Chesapeake; Bryce Guy Norvell of Hopewell; Seungene Oh of Seoul, Korea; Alexander Chibuzor Onukwugha Jr of Columbia, MD; James Kimball Gilette Ord of Hartfield; Xiao Pang of Beijing, China and Luke Cullop Patterson of Toano.

 

Also, Brett Andrew Pausic of Saluda; Grayson Lee Rimbey of Christchurch; Jonathan Willis Stevenson of Onancock; Tristan Noah Taylor of Cologne; Turner William Teague Thompson of Manteo, NC; David James Treakle of Irvington; Collin Sutherland Vaughan of Deltaville; Ashley Peyton Waite of Christhurch; Jiayuan Wang of Hainan Province, China; Qiwei Wang of Beijing, China; Denier Jamile Weech of Freeport, Bahamas; Caroline Elizabeth Woolums of King William; Shaolong Xue of Hebei Province, China and Wenbo Yu of Shanghai, China.

 

A Baccalaureate service will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 29 in St. Peter’s Chapel, with awards ceremony and then senior banquet immediately following.