18 minute read
Commencement 2019
We want to encourage them in their path forward towards humanization. We hope to create cultures in our institutions in which interiority may be developed simultaneously with critical thinking, compassion and faith. We are committed to educating to astonishment so that young people may encounter Mystery. In this moment and experience, we sense that the young will come to see themselves as God does—fully alive imbued with Christ’s Spirit. We know young people are endowed by grace. We have complete confidence in their capacity to be inspired agents of transformation.
International Heads of School Conference, Network of Sacred Heart Schools
VALEDICTORIAN · Zoe Barnette
SALUTATORIAN · Eleonora Grenfell
FOUR YEAR COMMITMENT AWARDS
Goal I: Faith · Lauren Cerretani In Honor of Anne Dyer, rscj ’55
Goal II: Intellectual Values · Zoe Barnette
Goal III: Social Awareness · Alison Manca In Memory of Mary Hogan Leslie ’64
Goal IV: Building Community · Nipunika Obe
Goal V: Personal Growth · Catherine Heming THE CITIZENSHIP AWARD ·
Margaret Cavanaugh
THE CARDINAL AWARD ·
Madeleine Sateri
THE PARENTS AND ALUMNAE AWARD ·
Beyer Bullard
THE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE AWARD ·
Shira Nash
THE BARAT AWARD ·
Hannah Joseph
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1 • Beyer Bullard and Zoe Barnette 2 • Eleonora Grenfell and Alison Manca 3 • Lauren Cerretani 4 • Nipunika Obe 5 • Catherine Heming 6 • Margaret Cavanaugh 7 • Madeleine Sateri 8 • Shira Nash 9 • Hannah Joseph
NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED SCHOLARS
Beyer Bullard Cecilia Hornyak Lauren Ferridge Madeleine Sateri Nia Williams
NATIONAL HISPANIC SCHOLAR
Caroline Barry
CUM LAUDE SOCIETY
Zoe Barnette Alison Manca
Beyer Bullard Amalia Marmalejos
Lauren Ferridge Grace Murphy Eleonora Grenfell Alicia Pané Catherine Heming Melanie Pane
Cecilia Hornyak Lucie Quinn
Hannah Joseph Madeleine Sateri
Alayna Kinkead Sophia Thompson
Nia Williams
ATHLETIC AWARDS
Bonifant-Willson Award for Best All-Around Athlete · Alayna Kinkead Student-Athlete Award · Grace Murphy Spirit Award · Logan Bee-Latty Sportsmanship Award · Abigail Romano Student-Athlete Leadership Award · Beyer Bullard Kevin Duffy Gator Strong Award · Lauren Cerretani DEPARTMENT AWARDS
English · Eleonora Grenfell History · Beyer Bullard Mathematics · Zoe Barnette Dr. Louis R. Cantilena and Dr. Amy Rose Cantilena '04 Science Award · Hannah Joseph Theology · Courtney Fanning 2018 Thomas B. Hoy Photography Award · Audrey Cibel 2019 Thomas B. Hoy Photography · Sarah Slimp Ceramics · Nipunika Obe Visual Arts · Caroline Barry Studio Art · Addison Poole Drama · Meghana Pai Concert Band · Briana Thompson Handbells · Melanie Pane String Ensemble · Quincy McElhaney French · Lara Bedewi Latin · Sydney Morick Spanish · Madeleine Sateri
STEM CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Zoe Barnette
Beyer Bullard
Catherine Heming
Nia Williams Hannah Joseph
Jillian Perry Addison Poole
SEAL OF BILITERACY
French · Grace Yang Italian · Cecilia Gadina Latin · Zoe Barnette Spanish
Inés Andrés Catherine Heming
Nadine Daboub Melanie Pane
Sanaz Ghorbanpour
Nia Williams Madeleine Sateri
Excerpts from Graduation Address by Dr. Beverley Robinson Wheeler '72
St. Madeleine Sophie Barat said: "For the sake of one child, I would have founded the Society." For that I will be forever grateful.
I wanted to speak with you today about servant leadership. But you already know what servant leadership means. It starts the minute you step on the Stone Ridge campus—whether you came in Pre-Kindergarten or the Third Academic. Servant leadership is embedded in the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria. I am here to remind you that servant leadership doesn’t end after you leave Stone Ridge. I have found that by living the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart education that I am a better person; a more generous person; a more grateful person; a more compassionate person; a happier person.
Goal I: A personal and active faith in God.
My job description says “ending hunger in the nation’s capital”. There is no ambiguity in that. There are times when I get overwhelmed and despondent. Particularly on the days I am reminded that 26% of the children under the age of 18 living in the District of Columbia are living in poverty. Or when I am confronted with the fact that only 50% of our senior citizens who qualify for food stamps are actually getting them. Or that only 47% of the students receiving free and reduced meals during the school year are getting them in the summer months. They are not on vacation or sabbatical. We need to find them and feed them. At those times I lean on my personal and active faith in God. I ask to be made calm. I seek to be still so that I may hear my assignment. I ask for discernment to address the issue at hand. Here is my advice to you. When social media and 24-hour streaming services threaten to take over or college studies and new jobs start to stress you. Take a minute or two to go sit with God. He has your back.
Goal II: A deep respect for intellectual values.
We are pretty smart at Stone Ridge. We are not arrogant about it. We are taught critical thinking skills. We value lifelong learning. We are not afraid to get into some research.
I feel wonderful about you and what you will accomplish. One of you will discover an orphan drug—that drug designed for a disease so rare that pharmaceutical companies won’t invest in it. One of you will create art so beautiful that we will weep at the sight of it.
After leaving Stone Ridge, Dr. Wheeler earned a Bachelors in Social and Decision Science and a Masters in Management and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. She then went on to earn both a Masters and Doctorate in Education from Harvard University.
Dr. Wheeler has over 30 years of experience in all phases of public and private sector policy development working in crisis resolution, process development, civic engagement, community/economic development and planning as well as policy development and implementation. She has 20 years of experience working with the DC government and the DC Council at the executive level as Executive Director of the State Board of Education and Neighborhood Action; Chief of Staff to Phil Mendelson; and Special Assistant to three City Administrators. She is the former president and CEO of Center City Public Charter Schools.
She has served on the Board of Trustees at Carnegie Mellon University and as President of the Carnegie Mellon Alumni Association. Dr. Wheeler served on the Board of Trustees for Stone Ridge from 1994-2000, is a past recipient of the Barat Medal from Stone Ridge, and has been an active alumna.
Dr. Wheeler currently serves as the director of DC Hunger Solutions. In this role, she is responsible for leading the efforts to improve public policies to end hunger, reduce poverty, promote nutrition and increase the availability of healthy affordable food in low-income areas.
Her program also works to maximize participation in all federal nutrition programs and educate the public about both the stark reality of hunger's existence in the nation's capital and real opportunities for effective solutions.
We cannot live and be of this world without being aware of various forms of injustice; domestic violence; climate change; institutional racism, income inequality with roots in discrimination, human trafficking; poverty...you name it. “Social awareness which impels to action” has always been my favorite. This is the goal that will get you up and out of your chair! It will get you involved in your community. It will test your leadership skills. I can feel it. I am in the presence of social change agents. I cannot wait to see what you will do. There is a reason we call it Social Action!
Goal IV: The building of community as a Christian value.
We get to build a more just world. We are aware of the component parts. From a very young age, my children would not let me walk past a homeless person. They would always say: ”Mommy you have money, give them some.” I did not have enough money to take care of every homeless person in the District of Columbia. However, I could and do work in coalition with others to identify a solution. No one as a child aspires to live on the street without shelter; to have to eat out of trash cans, to have inadequate clothing in the winter, or suffer heat stroke in the summer. I can help build a community where no human being is treated like a piece of garbage to be discarded.
Matthew 25: 35-45 states: ‘For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink…’ You know the rest. Each of you has an opportunity to identify that community you want to build. Goal V: Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.
I will freely admit that this was the hardest one for me to understand and to execute. I had no trouble accepting others, showing respect for alternative views or being concerned for others. In fact, I championed many a cause. There are some of us who almost did not graduate from Stone Ridge because we chose graduation day to hold a protest. Our protest took the form of wearing a white lace headband. I will not out anyone but if they choose to raise a hand, I will not stop you.
It took me a long time to realize that personal growth means that not only do I get to take care of others but that it is my responsibility to take care of me as well. It is important that we seek balance in our lives. And when I find myself out of balance, I go back to goal number one.
The beauty of the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart education is that they work very well together. They are like fingers on a hand. They support each other. Whether you are: grasping for a new concept that will change the world; planting seeds of hope; reaching for your dreams; or fighting the good fight. They are always there for you to fall back on. They will always be there to support you.
Right now, I want to leave you with two things. First, put and keep Stone Ridge on your resume. Trust me it opens doors. Second, never ever ever forget: Nous sommes enfants du Sacre Coeur. We are children of the Sacred Heart. Thank you.
Zoe Barnette '19 Delivers Valedictory Address
Good morning families, friends, faculty, staff, and my fellow graduates of the Class of 2019. I must confess, as the quintessential STEM student, writing this speech was a struggle. I would much rather do endless math packets than figure out how to eloquently convey inspiration in a few minutes.
I asked around for some advice and got some interesting ideas, such as setting the entire speech to a rap beat or delivering it in Latin. As much as I appreciated these tips, I decided to look back on my experiences to find something more worthy to share — and, hopefully, I did.
As some of you know, fencing, yes like sword-fighting, is a huge passion of mine. My coach is even here today! I have been competing nationally for 12 years, so it stands to reason I have some skill, but this past June I received a rude awakening. My mother and I met with the Notre Dame coach, and after politely greeting us, he said, “I think you’re at 15% of your fencing potential.” Now, this has been a difficult mindset for me to adopt since it’s so easy to focus on the negative, and be occupied by the here and now. Yet this is my lesson that I am passing on to you, especially the Class of 2019: no matter your starting point, it’s about reaching for the possible, and realizing your potential. Think of something you’re good at—it could be lacrosse, photography, science, parking (I am truly impressed if that is one of yours), whatever it may be. Now, picture yourself at only 15% of your potential. Think of how incredible you will be when you reach 100%. Sounds great, right? Well aside from intense personal determination, you will need a small army of believers who will push you to reach your goal. The Notre Dame fencing coach believes in me enough to have given me a precious spot on the team, with the intent of driving me to my full potential. We all have these believers and supporters in our lives who push us to achieve our goals, sometimes without our realizing it.
Throughout the past four years at Stone Ridge, our primary support group has included the dedicated and inspiring My usually-poised mother blurted out “We’ve spent HOW faculty. For me, I would not love math as much as I do if MUCH time and money for only 15%?!” I sat frozen in a Mr. Ish had not challenged me at 7 in the morning with state of shock. At that moment, I thought my dream of multivariable calculus. I would not be pursuing chemical fencing for the National engineering if Dr. Rock Championship team had not consumed lunch was suddenly over. hours with extended I fully expected the chemistry labs. I would coach to shake his head not have found my dismissively, judging me passion for literature unworthy of the Notre if Ms. Zindulis had not Dame team. encouraged me to read Ursula Le Guin. And I Instead, the coach’s would not have co-led reaction to my mother’s exclamation and my shocked look such an amazing 12 Drummers Drumming routine at Feast was to smile and laugh. It turned out that his statement Wishes without four years of Mrs. G’s percussion training. was the prelude to offering me a position on the fencing Each of my classmates has their own list of notable team. I distinctly remember walking out of his office teachers. So to all our faculty, the Class of 2019 thanks you dazed, happy, and convinced that a small miracle had for your hard work in guiding us toward our full potential. occurred. Upon reflection, I understand what the coach was trying to say to me. While I was transfixed on the 15% In a larger sense, Stone Ridge has been a stable support I had achieved, he was focused on the more hopeful 85% system for four years, and for some of us 14. It has offered yet to be achieved. us a place to thrive whether in academics, athletics, or
the arts. But one could say that about any prestigious private school in our area. Stone Ridge uniquely gives us a key ingredient that, even the illustrious WikiHow, says we need in order to discover our full potential — a set of goals. As any Stone Ridge girl from first grade to twelfth can tell you, the five Goals — Faith, Intellect, Social Action, Community, and Personal Growth — provide a framework for us to become better women. Standing here as your valedictorian, of course I value Goal 2, Intellect.
However, what I did not understand before coming to Stone Ridge was the vast importance and impact of the other four Sacred Heart Goals. One Goal in particular that I know the Class of 2019 will pursue beyond this campus is the commitment to Goal 3, Social Action. A good friend of mine used to question me, “how can your school let you give up every other Wednesday for community service? There’s no way you’ll get through all the AP material.” Well, as Stone Ridge girls know, education is not just about book-learning and test-taking. Social Action inspires many of us to push past the classroom walls and discover our passions as we join marches, help the homeless, or clean up the environment. I am in awe of the selfless work these devoted Stone Ridge girls perform. So to this Sacred Heart institution, the Class of 2019 thanks you for providing a tradition founded in goals—ones that we will all choose to live by in our own way.
Finally, a special shout-out to the ultimate believers who have been cheering us on since the beginning—our parents. They are the reason we sit here today, not only because they paid the tuition, though that is important, but also because they have guided us to where we find ourselves today, despite the terrible twos and the terrible teens. And for that, they deserve the biggest thank you of all.
As we move to the next stage of our lives, I challenge each of you, my fellow graduates, to reflect on where you are now, how you can be better, and who will help you in between. As we graduate today, remember—you’re not done yet! You each have the capacity to realize your full potential. Keep it up, and you might just make it to 20%. Thank you, and congratulations Class of 2019!
Avery Alexander · UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Inés Andrés · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Alyssa Anglin · SPELMAN COLLEGE Sophia Attiliis · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY Rachael Baith · INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Jermia Baker · FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Zoe Barnette · UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
Caroline Barry · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY Lara Bedewi · DREXEL UNIVERSITY
Logan Bee-Latty · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA Kristen Bradshaw · KÜHNE LOGISTICS UNIVERSITY
Juliette Brophy · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI Genevieve Bucher · UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
Beyer Bullard · NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Suzanna Canton · UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
Meaghan Carey · XAVIER UNIVERSITY Margaret Cavanaugh · VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY Catherine Cavanaugh · UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT Lauren Cerretani · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Audrey Cibel · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Niya Cyrus · LOYOLA UNIVERSITY MARYLAND Nadine Daboub · UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
Shea Darcey · FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY Courtney Fanning · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Lauren Ferridge · DARTMOUTH COLLEGE Charlotte Flannery · FORDHAM UNIVERSITY Cecilia Gadina · UNIVERSITA BOCCONI
Elizabeth Gee · BARNARD COLLEGE
Sanaz Ghorbanpour · ELON UNIVERSITY Abigail Ginter · COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON Lindsey Goldstein · INDIANA UNIVERSITY Eleonora Grenfell · WILLIAMS COLLEGE Catherine Heming · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Cecilia Hornyak · PRINCETON UNIVERSITY Mary Ingersoll · UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI Alexandra Jenkins · SPELMAN COLLEGE Sofia Jordan · COLBY COLLEGE Hannah Joseph · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Kathryn Kalhorn · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Isabel Kallen · TULANE UNIVERSITY
Emily Kaminski · DAVIDSON COLLEGE Ann Kelly · UNIVERSITY OF DENVER Alayna Kinkead · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY Nicole Kronfli · BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY Genevieve Lange · ELON UNIVERSITY Flannery Leary · JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY Katherine Lennon · TULANE UNIVERSITY
Molly Linder · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK Alison Manca · TUFTS UNIVERSITY
Amalia Marmolejos · UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHAPEL HILL Quincy McElhaney · XAVIER UNIVERSITY Mawersia Mekonen · BOSTON COLLEGE
Jordan Milby · SIENA COLLEGE Sydney Morick · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY Grace Murphy · BOSTON COLLEGE Shira Nash · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Wanyana Njuki · FORDHAM UNIVERSITY Madison Notarianni · BOSTON COLLEGE
Aleah Nugent · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, BOSTON Nipunika Obe · BOSTON COLLEGE Meghan O’Brien · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Mary O’Connor · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON Lauren Pacious · VIRGINIA TECH
Meghana Pai · NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Melanie Pane · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Alicia Pané · MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE
Jillian Perry · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, BALTIMORE COUNTY Amanda Piro · CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY
Addison Poole · VIRGINIA TECH
Lucie Quinn · BOSTON COLLEGE Cameron Rickenbach · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK Sofia Rojas · CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE Abigail Romano · COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY Madeleine Sateri · VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY
Bridget Scalia · FURMAN UNIVERSITY Elizabeth Scanlon · TULANE UNIVERSITY
Sarah Slimp · TULANE UNIVERSITY Caroline Tangang · SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Sophia Thompson · BOSTON COLLEGE Josie Trujillo-Lederer · MARIST COLLEGE Jennifer Tsozock · SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY Marie Werth · UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON
Gemma Westrick · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
Nia Williams · DUKE UNIVERSITY
Grace Yang · VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY Cynthia Yuwono · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
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1 • Stone Ridge Lifers: Melanie Pane, Audrey Cibel, Cynthia Yuwono, Alayna Kinkead, Wanyana Njuki, Katherine Lennon, Madeleine Sateri, Charlotte Flannery, and Meghana Pai 2 • Catya Cavanaugh and Wanyana Njuki lead the graduates in their class song, "I Did It My Way" 3 • Abby Romano with her sister and mother Angie Romano, Director of the Stone Ridge Summer CampUs 4 • Kristen Bradshaw, Ginny Bucher, Lara Bedewi, Logan Bee-Latty, Ines Andres, Avery Alexander, Sophie Attiliis, Juliette Brophy, Rachael Baith 5 • Mawersia Mekonen with friends and family 6 • Cecilia Gadina and Audrey Cibel 7 • Retiring school nurse Alana Pitcher reads the closing prayer 8 • Melanie Pane and Aleah Nugent 9 • US faculty Jill Marks and Sandra Blakeslee 10 • Makayla BowenLongino '20, Avery Alexander, and Alyssa Anglin 11 • Meghan McMurtrie Quinn '87 and Maggie Quinn '17 celebrate graduate Lucie Quinn '19 12 • Cameron Rickenbach recieves her diploma from her mother Martie Bollo, Administrative Assistant to the Head of Middle School 13 • Grace Yang offers the opening prayer 14 • Suzanna Canton recieves her diploma from her mother, Suzie Canton, member of the Board of Trustees
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