Think,
compete, care, explore, ponder. In a series of one-word exhortations,
Head of School Barbara Landis Chase urged
the Class of 2002 to learn from the talented people around
them. At Phillips Academy’s 224th commencement ceremony,
303 seniors—149 boys and 154 girls—listened to her words
with pride and jubilation.
About 3,000 people attended the graduation exercises Sunday, June
2, on the school’s Great Lawn. In a time-honored PA tradition,
the graduation procession of faculty and students was led by the stirring
sounds of the Clan MacPherson Drums and Pipes of Lawrence, Mass. Boys
wore suit coats and ties and, in the Abbot Academy tradition, girls
wore white dresses and each carried a red rose. |
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| David
M. Underwood ’54 (right), president of the Board of Trustees,
passes diplomas to (from left) Lisa Tamaki, Kerri-Ann Rowe and Brienne
Leon. |
Addressing
the graduates from the steps of Samuel Phillips Hall, Chase spoke
about the vista to the west. “Surely it was meant to give the
viewer from this vantage point a sense of openness to the world, of
space to grow and direction, of opportunity, of being called to step
into a beckoning future,” she said.
Her advice to the school’s newest graduates?
“Think, like the best philosophers among you, about your obligations
as citizens in a democratic society.
“Compete, like the team you’ve watched or played on that
stuck together and just wouldn’t give up.
“Care, like the person you know who has been best at being a
friend.
“Explore, like the best scientists in your class, asking questions
whose answers have meaning and consequence.
“Ponder, as the poets in your class will, about the nature of
the world and our place in it.”
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| Head
of School Barbara Landis Chase (center) poses with award winners (from
left) Samuel Takvorian, Aurelian Honor Society Award; Phoebe Prioleau,
Faculty Prize; Katherine Elliott, Madame Sarah Abbot Award; and Ryan
Coughlan, Non Sibi Award. |
School
President Spencer J.W. Willig of New York, N.Y., told his classmates,
“Andover is a place to learn how to learn. If you’re here
today, you made it on your own initiative and courage.”
Chase presented the academy’s most distinguished awards to outstanding
members of the class:
Ryan W. Coughlan of Bradford, Mass., received the Non Sibi Award,
given to a student who has honored Phillips Academy’s non sibi
(not-for-self) tradition through efforts on behalf of others. He will
attend Harvard University.
Heidi M. Herrick of Falmouth, Maine, received the Yale Bowl, given
to the member of the senior class who has attained the highest proficiency
in scholarship and athletics. She will attend Stanford University.
Phoebe G. Prioleau of New York, N.Y., received the Faculty Prize for
outstanding scholarship during the senior year. She will attend Stanford
University.
Katherine Elliott of Melrose, Mass., received the Madame Sarah Abbot
Award, given to a young woman for strong character, leadership and
outstanding scholarship. She will attend Yale University. |
 Samuel
U. Takvorian of Concord, Mass., received the Aurelian Honor Society
Award for sterling character, high scholarship and forceful leadership.
He will attend Harvard University.
The Class of 2002 will matriculate at a total of 98 four-year colleges
and universities. Top choices, accounting for almost half of the graduates,
include Cornell and Yale, 17 each; Georgetown, 15; Harvard, 11; University
of Chicago, 10; Princeton, nine; Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, George
Washington University and University of Pennsylvania, eight each;
and Carnegie Mellon, Duke, North-western and Stanford, seven each. |
| The
Simeone family shares a happy moment; shown, from left, are John Simeone
’02, aunt Margaret Coakley ’63 and sister Anne Simeone ’99. |
| Photography
by J.D. Sloan |
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