KATONAH, N.Y. - The 75 members of The Harvey School’s Class of 2025 officially became graduates at a moving Commencement Day ceremony Thursday, June 5, before family, friends, administration, trustees, faculty, and staff.
Going into the gymnasium to the tune of “Earl of Mansfield” played by Pipe Major Jonathan Henken, the members of this year’s graduating class were all smiles, ready for this moment that would mark the end of their high school days and the beginning of the next stage in their lives.
“Today is a time to celebrate your accomplishments, to reflect on all you’ve achieved, and to savor this moment,” said Harvey’s Head of School Bill Knauer. “But it is also a time to look forward, to imagine what comes next."
Referencing one of his favorite quotations, “Serendipity demands a certain abandon to circumstance,” Mr. Knauer said. “It’s a small reminder that even the best-laid plans are often interrupted, and sometimes improved, but what we didn’t see coming. The idea of serendipity isn’t just about luck; it’s about saying open to possibilities. It’s about allowing the unexpected to nudge you in a new direction, and being curious enough to follow."
Commencement speaker David Grann, bestselling author and staff writer for The New Yorker, encouraged the seniors to always be open to the path that is unplanned.
“As you imagine your future, it is easy to see it as a journey on a predetermined path. This logical story, with everything building toward its evitable triumphant end,” said Grann. “Yet the truth is that these quests, and the quests you are all about to begin today, rarely turn out as expected.”
Valedictorian Daniela Rynott of Mount Kisco urged her fellow graduates to “remember that every choice you make is a moral decision, including what you choose to look away from,” she said.
“One of the most powerful ways to grow that kind of perspective is by stepping into someone’s else’s world, quite literally,” said the top scholar of the graduating class. “If you get the chance to study abroad during college, take it, because the world has lessons that no Canvas assignment could ever teach.”
In closing, Rynott added, “As we leave these halls and step into the uncertainty of what’s next, may we do so not with fear, but with curiosity. Let us be relentless with pursuit, bold in our convictions, and always open to learning.”
After Head of Upper School Phil Lazzaro recognized the seniors who were awarded academic prizes, the moment then came for the seniors to receive their diplomas, which they did to a chorus of applause and cheers from the audience. Upon completion of the awarding of diplomas, Mr. Knauer directed the Class of 2025 to rise and move their tassels from right to left, symbolizing that they are now graduates of The Harvey School. The graduates then tossed their caps high into the air in celebration.
When the graduates processed outside to the quad from the athletic center and paraded down the sidewalk lined on each side by their teachers, they followed a moving Commencement Day tradition that signifies their passage from Harvey students to proud alumni who will now make their way in the world.
Article courtesy of The Harvey School.
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