Middle School Students Matriculate

Hawken Middle School celebrated its Closing Exercises Wednesday, June 8, in the Ingalls Gymnasium. A procession of trustees, faculty, staff, and the Class of 2009 was greeted by music from John Krol (piano), Ahren Stock (trumpet) and Liesl Langmack (violin). In his welcoming address, Andrew Macklis `09 described the journey ahead as leaving the "home" of the Lyndhurst Campus for the "unknown" of the Upper School in Gates Mills. He reminded his classmates of their many accomplishments and collective memories. "The Upper School," he quipped, "doesn`t know what`s coming!" In her Reading, Dana Lee `09 explored the meaning of true friendship. Quoting Bernard Meltzer, she explained, "A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." Sam Lincoln `09 likened his class`s Middle School experience to Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton`s 1914-16 expedition to Antarctica. Though Shackleton`s ship, the Endurance, was trapped in ice, the entire crew survived by eating seal blubber and managed to travel over 800 miles to safety. Likewise, the Class of 2009 had their own struggles in Middle School, (which included excellent school lunches not to be compared to seal blubber, Lincoln joked), yet through class unity and teamwork, survived. "Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all," Lincoln said, quoting Shackleton. Rachel Parker `09 said her Middle School experience was "unforgettable" and offered up a quotation from Maltbie Davenport Babcock for her classmates to ponder. "One of the commonest mistakes and one of the costliest is thinking that success is due to some genius, some magicGÇösomething or other which we do not possess," she read. "Success is generally due to holding on, and failure to letting go. You decide to learn a language, study music, take a course of reading, train yourself physically. Will it be success or failure? It depends upon how much pluck and perseverance that word GÇÿdecide` contains." In his Valedictory Address, Brian Huser counseled his classmates to aim high by quoting Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it; every arrow that flies feels the attraction of earth." He stressed the importance of community and the ability of each and every graduate to make a difference. Quoting Thomas Carlyle, he said, "Let each become all that he was created capable of being." Director of the Middle School Bill Waskowitz discussed the importance of finding one`s voice. He gave this charge to the Class of 2009: "Sing your own song in a manner that makes you proudGǪ and know that we love you for who you are." Students received their diplomas according to Hawken School traditionGÇöin random order (not alphabetical order). Head of School Jim Berkman congratulated the graduates in his closing remarks. Referencing the theories put forth by Richard Florida in his book The Rise of the Creative Class, Mr. Berkman told the Class of 2009 that they will truly be able to pursue their loves and interests in their work, and although they still will hone their skills in high school and college, they have the power to turn their daydreams into reality. Throughout the ceremony, musical interludes blended perfectly with the many words of wisdom offered. Those gathered sang "Amazing Grace," and Hawken`s "Alma Mater," and enjoyed "At The Beginning," performed by the 8th Grade Ensemble under the direction of Mr. Krol. Faculty, families and friends greeted and congratulated the Class of 2009 as they recessed out and during the reception that followed.