Celebrating Our Seniors
The Hathaway Brown Class of 2020 receives a memorable send-off. In typical HB fashion, people from across our school family—students, faculty, administrators, board members, parents, alumnae, and friends—came together on May 29 to create a fantastic Virtual Commencement celebration for our newest Hathaway Brown graduates, the Class of 2020. The ceremony included traditional remarks from Head of School Fran Biselle, and beautiful portraits of each graduate created by Kimberly Ponsky Sable ’98 were displayed onscreen while Director of Upper School Hallie Ritzman read each of the students’ names. HB mom Catherine Herrick Levy ’93, President of the Hathaway Brown Alumnae Association, issued a moving Alumnae Charge and welcomed the graduates to the incredible alumnae sisterhood that began in 1876. We closed the ceremony with a socially distanced clap-out, and faculty and administrators symbolically launched the class off into their future. We also surprised the graduates with well wishes sent in from all around the world, with congratulatory messages from teachers, board members, and other 30
HB
dignitaries including Billie Jean King, Eva Schloss, and Gloria Steinem; journalists Russ Mitchell, Danita Harris, Connie Schultz, Geraldo Rivera, Norah O’Donnell, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Scott Pelley; musicians Franz Welser-Möst, Jason Mraz, and Mark Foster; politicians Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown; literary stars Sarah Kay and John Irving; chefs Doug Katz and Michael Symon; hit Netflix show directors Keiann Collins and Juanesta Holmes; Broadway actor Chris McCarrell; Cleveland Museum of Art director William Griswold; and Cleveland Cavaliers GM Koby Altman and assistant coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Later that week, the students received video well-wishes from several current and former Cleveland Browns players and coaches as well. Watch the ceremony and special tribute video at HB.edu/Commencement2020.
An Excerpt From The Student Remarks Delivered By Anya Razmi ’20: “Any kind memory of these halls can be boiled down to this: good people. Good people in a good place. And somehow, by the time all these infinitesimal moments had been strung together, we had grown up.
