On Friday, June 14th, the Waldorf School of Garden City celebrated its 54th Commencement and the achievements of the 28 members of the Class of 2013. The keynote commencement address speaker – chosen by the graduating class – was High School English and Drama Teacher Deirdre Burns Sommers.

Senior class co-advisors Alexios Kritas ’85 and Perla Yanovitch addressed the graduates as did Grant Butler ’85, who is the Facilities and CIT Director at Camp Glen Brook (Waldorf’s extension campus in New Hampshire). Two seniors were also selected by their classmates to speak on behalf of the graduating class: Max Novick and Sophia Trikas.

The class of 2013 has been accepted into over 100 colleges and universities. (To view the list of college acceptances, click here.)

What They Said

The full text of remarks delivered by Alexios Kritas, Perla Yanovtich, Grant Butler, Max Novick, Sophia Trikas, and Deirdre Burns Somers will be available later this week. Following are excerpts.

“We have enjoyed accompanying you on this stage of your life’s journey,” said Senior Class Co-Advisors Alexios Krtias and Perla Yanovitch. “We respect your accomplishments and know that your future holds great promise. Put your idealism, hard work and leadership in the service of humanity, bring joy to those around you with your contributions, and always be grateful for the education you have been priviledged to receive, an education made possible by families, teachers, staff, administrators and trustees working together to create a community where students are free to be themselves and develop as whole human beings.”

Remarked Grant Butler, “Spending time at a place like Camp Glen Brook (Waldorf’s extension campus) is much like looking at yourself in a big mirror: you so readily see your own reflections in the simple surroundings and through other people who are part of the community. Ultimately, the places that touch us the most are those where we can feel the best we can about ourselves. We like to say that at Glen Brook we all have the chance to be the best that we can be. I can say that multiple times you have proven that to us and I believe to yourselves.”

“Community service has been a huge part of what makes our class so special. We strive to do more than what we are asked to do. Through our volunteer work at the Inn, a place for less fortunate people to receive a hot meal, and other places such as the Brookville School and the Henry Viscardi School for the Disabled, it is clear that my classmates and I do not ultimately care about the money or the power; we care about the people of this Earth.” In the fall, Max will attend Johns Hopkins University.

“Our final four years of high school have been filled with memories, some stormy and others peaceful. Looking back at them now, I understand that all of these experiences have helped shape us into the class we are today. While we all bring something different to the class, somehow we make a family: a family that has been through ups and downs, good and bad; a family that has experienced serios times and humorous ones.” Sophia will be attending the Fairfield University in Connecticut in September.

“This tumultuous tribe of tolerant teenagers, terrifyingly tenacious, tremendously talented and trenchantly truthful, who have teamed up to tackle tough times with a ton of temerity, talkative togetherness and torrent of tenderness, while taking time to tender thanks, totally trusting that tomorrow will turn out terrific,” said high school English teacher Deirdre Burns Somers.

An accredited member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) and the Association of the Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), the Waldorf School of Garden City is a 360+ nursery through grade 12 college preparatory day school. From the early exploration and rich play children experience in the early childhood program to the sophisticated conceptual challenges of the high school curriculum, the Waldorf School of Garden City nurtures the healthy and balanced development of the whole human being. The school’s approach to learning encourages academic, intellectual, artistic, moral and social growth and lays the groundwork for a satisfying and creative future.