Shore Graduates 70 During Historic Closing Exercises

On Wednesday, June 14, 70 eighth and ninth grade students were graduated during Shore’s 80th Closing Exercises. The ceremony was the last for retiring Head of School Larry Griffin, who received an honorary diploma from students to symbolize his own "graduation" from Shore. It was an emotional moment for the Head of School—just one of many during the event, which capped Griffin's transformational 30-year tenure.


Griffin was visibly moved at many points in his address before the assembled audience of family members, alumni, trustees, and parents of alumni. "This is a bittersweet moment," he acknowledged. Halting every few sentences of his brief speech to gather his composure, he continued, "As we are poised to say goodbye, it has been my good fortune to witness the graduation of 30 classes of Shore Country Day School. As I stand before you this afternoon, I could not be more proud or happy. We have assembled the strongest, the brightest, and the most devoted, compassionate, and caring faculty and staff in our history together. We are a school that always looks to grow, to change, and to improve. We make our decisions based on what is best for the child, and we are still children at heart ourselves."
 
Graduation Student Speaker Abi Borggaard, a ninth grade varsity athlete and High Honors scholar, also spoke emotionally as she reflected on Shore experiences and traditions, such as the traditional leap by graduates to high-five a hand painted above the exit doors of Howard Gymnasium as they depart the ceremony.

"Bittersweet is jumping up to slap the hand that you've looked up at ever since the Lower School. Bittersweet is walking off the field after your last game with the letters S-H-O-R-E stitched across your chest, or taking your last bow with a cast that you'll never forget. Bittersweet is picking up your last blue lunch tray, and closing your locker for the very last time. Some people might say that graduation is moving on from one place to another; and yeah, we'll move on to wherever life might take us. But we'll never forget what made us who we are. 

"I'm excited to move on to my next school and make new memories. But I know I'll bring with me the memories that I've already written. From Squam Lake to Glendora Mississippi, and from Mountain School to the Golden Gate Bridge, my classmates and I have gotten closer and closer together. There are no other people I'd rather get stuck in a canoe with in the middle of a lake, or navigate San Francisco's Chinatown with. As we worked together to restore a playground for less fortunate children and build a house for a family in need, we learned things we never could have learned anywhere else. These are the experiences that have given me a new perspective on life. The memories we made together here on campus, such as our annual Head's Holiday water fight and daily foursquare games, are ones that I'll always think of and smile. 

"If I could offer one piece of advice to the students in the audience, I would tell you to make the most of your opportunities at Shore, because sooner than you know it, you'll be walking out of these doors into the next stage of your life. But as we move on from Shore, we won't forget where we came from. We won't forget the people we met and the memories we made. When I march out and slap the hand above the door, I'll feel bittersweet. I'll be sad that I won't see these faces next September, but I know I won't leave them in my past."

Griffin also offered advice to the graduates.

"I have this one last chance to share a few words of wisdom from my 42 years of teaching: I implore our graduates and those students who will graduate in the next few years to spend time this summer reflecting on who you believe you are, how your friends and family would describe you, and who you want to be. We have choices in life, and none is more important than the one we make in deciding who we are. As I shared with you recently at our Morning Meeting, I am not the person I see in myself—I am the person that others see in me. When I am able to listen to others intently, to open myself to their constructive criticism, and see myself in the eyes of my friends, my family, and my critics, I am then in the position to become the person that I want to be."

Griffin concluded his address with his hopes for the future—that of his students, and that of the troubled world they inherit.  

"We live in a world of turmoil and possibility. I want to address just one sliver of the world of possibility. You students are among my greatest hope for the future. You have privilege, and you have opportunity. You have access to the world's greatest educational opportunities. Do not squander this chance of a lifetime. In pursuing your dream, hold fast to your character. We need future leaders with integrity and commitment to service, and this can be you. Our Community Code, on the wall above me, is a statement of aspiration. If you live by these ideals, you will be ready to lead. Some day, I want to cast my vote to elect one of you to be an inspirational leader. You can do it. You as the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth grade classes will remain etched in my memory as models of the character and conscience of which I speak. I love you all."

Throughout the ceremony in Shore’s Howard Gymnasium, Griffin recounted highlights of each and every one of the 51 eighth grade graduates’ character and school career, after which ninth grade students surprised the Head of School by taking the stage and offering their own tribute to their mentor, teacher, and friend. The tributes, a hallmark of Shore’s Closing Exercises, were complemented by other traditions. Invited to present roses to their parents, graduates broke ranks during the event to walk into the audience to share a moment with family, and longtime Shore community members were acknowledged with bouquets.

Newer traditions mingled with the time-honored. Eighth grade graduates—girls attired in white lace dresses and boys in blue blazers—held to tradition by arriving well before the ceremonies to receive white flowers: each girl chose a long-stemmed white calla lily, while each boy accepted a white rose boutonnière. 

But for only the second year, ninth grade graduates wore pale blue; delicate blue delphiniums were held by each girl, and a blue pocket square was worn by each boy. Blue was also added to the ceremony to distinguish eighth grade graduates who would return in the fall as ninth graders. More than a dozen chose Shore’s signature ninth grade program, with a level of individualized study and experiential learning unavailable elsewhere in the region.

The Closing Exercises concluded with the traditional benediction, sung beautifully by the graduates, who were joined by many alumni, faculty, and staff singers present in the audience. Earlier, eighth and ninth grade students had performed a graduation song of their own choosing, paying tribute to Shore’s vibrant culture of music, drama, and public performance. As graduates recessed, they each leaped to slap the painted hand above the gymnasium doorway, receiving a symbolic high-five from graduates before them.

Students and their families then gathered for congratulations from faculty, who shared reminiscences and well wishes for next fall and beyond. Graduating ninth grade and many eighth grade students will move on to high schools and college preparatory schools including Pingree School, Brooks School, The Governor’s Academy, Milton Academy, Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, St. George's School, St. John's Preparatory School, Middlesex School, and Holderness School.

This year's ninth grade graduates of the Class of 2017 were: Daniel Blundin, Abigail Borggaard, Emma Borggaard, India Doyle, Gabriel Driscoll, Jeffrey Feng, Phoebe Goltra, Garrett Hughey, Caroline Kagan, Jacob Lapp, Cage LeBlanc, Alia Piccinni, Claudia Pollock, Gwen Schatz, Ethan Smith, Sarah Smith, Isabella Toran, Oliver Weissleder, and Kiara Wilson.

This year's eighth grade graduates of the Class of 2018 were: Linden Adamson Devon Alperin, Graham Archer, Anna Bargman, Kealan Biebesheimer, Kelly Blundin, Molly Bolland, Ava Breault, Catherine Card, Wyatt Carlson, Enzo Caruso, Alicia Coble, Abigail Cotraro, Carter Crocker, Ava D'Ambrosio, Teresa DiNanno, Julia Dobbins, Emily Dornan, John Fates, Catherine Fortin, Caroline Fritz, Peter Goeben, Charles Hoffman, Gianna Huet, Samuel Izzo, Sophia Izzo, Benjamin Jones, Sarah Kennedy, Birch Lake, Alisha Lee, Erica Lee, Emily LeMieux, Myles Lopes, Eleni Mazareas, John McFadden, Ainsley McKenna, Charles Mehm, Madeline Mullaney, Isabel Murphy, Jacob Nissenbaum, Alexander Oder, Rohan Patel, Bianca Perullo, Stephanie Pratt, Tessa Shields, Nolan St. John, Nicholas Talleri, Anita Ulfelder, Benjamin Wilkinson, Ryan Winchester, and Brigid Woelfel.
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    • Larry Griffin congratulating ninth grade graduate Garrett Hughey

    • Ninth grader Bella Toran accepting a blue delphinium

    • Eighth graders Alex Oder and Linden Adamson

    • Outside the Winslow Building

    • On the way to the ceremony

    • Ready for the procession

    • After the ceremony

    • Teacher Pat Coyle congratulating ninth grader Gabe Driscoll

    • All smiles

    • Larry Griffin congratulating ninth grader Caroline Kagan

Shore Country Day School

545 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915
(978) 927-1700
Shore Country Day School’s mission is to provide an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages children to embrace academic challenge. We seek to build character, cultivate creativity, and value diversity as we help our children become healthy, compassionate citizens of the world.
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships, and loans, and its educational, athletic, and other programs.