“It’s good!” COMMENCEMENT 2021
by John Bishop
It almost didn’t happen. Going into the final days of May, Lawrence Academy continuously and carefully observed state and local directives and restrictions, knowing full well that the COVID-19 pandemic might make an in-person graduation ceremony impossible. All of the contingencies and alternatives the administration were considering never came to pass. Instead, on Friday, June 4th, graduation was held on Murbach Field. In the shadow of the goalposts, Head of School, Dan Scheibe imitated the look of New England Patriots kicking legend Adam Vinatieri — arms raised, saying, “It’s good!” — as the 228th Graduation Exercises at Lawrence Academy commenced.
4 LAWRENCE ACADEMY FALL 2021
“Before this year, did we ever really understand just how beautiful and meaningful the words ‘in-person’ were?” Mr. Scheibe asked the crowd gathered on the athletic field. “I say this with a sense of celebration for those of us who are here, but also with sensitivity and compassion for those who are not here with us right now. “For those members of the Class of 2021 who are joining us remotely, we send you our love and our pride, reaching out to you as the Lawrence Academy family,” he added. “We dedicate this ceremony to you as a symbol of the bond we share.” The emotion on the faces of the graduates, their families, LA faculty members, and invited friends — enhanced as they were by the “jumbotron” placed in the corner of one end of the field to help the crowd watching
