Pomp And Circumstance

June 12, 2010~The Class of 2010 entered in style on Saturday morning, despite the ‘liquid sunshine’ that spent most of the morning in the Valley. The Parker Gym made for a cozy gathering, though, as parents, grandparents, alumni and staff were entertained and moved by the ruminations of the class members.

As each senior spoke, it was clear how much they had laughed, cried, pushed and learned in their years at GMVS. The ceremony featured sometimes hysterical stories, tearful (and multilingual) thank-yous, colorful props and heartfelt comments, and everyone left appreciating what a terrific group this is. It is also notable that nearly half the class spent 5 years here, starting out in the then-fledgling 8thgrade program.

Before Headmaster Dave Gavett and Board Chair Larry Dickie handed out the diplomas, there were several awards to be presented. Director of Academics Alice Rodgers presented the VSAC Vermont Scholar award to David Sinclair, and then awarded David and Emma LeBlanc the Valedictorian Award. This year we had a first: down to 0.01 of a grade point, David and Emma tied for the highest GPA in the class.

Chandler Boynton then brought the house down with the presentation of the School Spirit Award. He presented Jon Gonin ’11 with a collection of medals, a gold-painted ski boot, and a shiny dust pan (“I just looked for all the shiny stuff I could find…”), while he recounted how Jon embodies the enthusiasm and spirit of GMVS. Katherine Scalia presented JP Daigneault ’92 with the Staff Award, in recognition of his tireless and devoted coaching and  mentoring over the years (not to mention his IT-wizardry).