Speaker tells BBA grads: 'Stay focused'
Toolbox
By PATRICK McARDLE STAFF WRITER - Published: June 13, 2009
MANCHESTER — About 175 members of Burr and Burton Academy's Class of 2009 were told at their commencement on Friday evening that their dreams and hard work could take them out of this world, by someone who ought to know.
"I achieved my dream because I never lost my focus. I worked hard, very hard, and I was lucky. When an opportunity presented itself, I was ready to seize it because I had been patient and because my options were open. I loved my work and I could hardly wait to get to work in the morning," said NASA Apollo astronaut and Manchester resident Col. Gerald Carr.
The graduating seniors chose Carr to be the commencement speaker, according to Burr and Burton's headmaster, because "they thought he would have a sense for Vermont's awesomeness and would have a message that we could all benefit from."
Carr told the graduates that if they were patient, enthusiastic and passionate, they would be successful.
While Friday started off overcast, the Class of 2009 had good weather for the ceremony during the evening, which allowed friends and well-wishers to take photographs at an arm's length or sit on the campus hills and enjoy the atmosphere and the speeches.
Mark Tashjian, who became headmaster at the beginning of the school year, expressed appreciation his first graduating class. He received an especially enthusiastic response when calling attention to the nine school teams that took home state championships during the 2008-09 term.
Valedictorian Alexander Evanczuk encouraged his peers not to put off the pursuit of their dreams and goals.
"One thing that I've realized is that life never really plateaus. There are always important obligations that may keep us from doing the things that we really want to do. However, we must not dismiss the importance of the present in doing the things that define who we are as a person. Because when it comes down to it we are constantly creating and recreating our character," he said.
Salutatorian Stephanie Riker said the view of Burr and Burton she had from Mount Equinox at the end of her senior year helped her put her high school experience into perspective. But she also said she was looking ahead.
"For those that say that high school is the best time of our lives, I would like to say, I hope not. … BBA has been all-consuming up to this point. But as we move onward and forward, we are prepared for the new experiences awaiting us. Ones that will be overwhelming at first, then consume us, then become part of our history," she said.
Friday's ceremony brought a new element to commencement: An address by a member of the faculty.
Inspired by Carr's appearance at the graduation, English and psychology teacher William Muench called Burr and Burton a "wonderful launching pad."
"No explorer ever reached new territory without help so have an attitude of gratitude for those who helped you (get) here today," Muench said.
patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com
Burr and Burton Academy
Class of 2009
Oliver Adams, Kristy Aldrich, David Alspaugh, Elizabeth Alter, Benjamin Anton, Jayme Ayotte, Damarah Barr-Smith, Vance Barton, Lindsay Bierwirth, Thomas Biggs, William Black, Kendra Bogossian, Chelsea Boston, Anthony Bouchér, Charles Bowden, Natalie Boyle, Anna Brabazon, Benjamin Brownlee, Brittany Bushee, Peter Calfee, Darren Casey, Michael Cassidy, Robert Chartier II, Daniel Chessman, Candace Chingos, Chuan Yo Chou, Michael Cifor, James Clarkson, Justin Cobb, Jennessa Cole, Benjamin Comar, Brett Conklin, James Cote-Abel, Samantha Crippen, Eliza Davis, Taylor Dear, Maria Decina, Dawit Deen, George Deets IV, Nicholas DeSario, Rebecca Dibble, Laura Donnelly, Christopher Dryden, Xiao Du, Adrian Eberth, Alexander Evanczuk, Ryan Fanelli, Elizabeth Farley, Grace Feron, Bridget Fice, Mullainy Fine, Michael Finnegan Jr., Daniel Flanagan III, Dana Florin-Weiss, Sabina Formanek, Lluis Moncunill, Sarah Garay, Hannah Goldschmidt, Tristan Goodman, Zachary Greene, Michael Grossfeld, Tara Grout, Rebecca Grover, Ian Gunn.
Also, Campbell Halligan, Connor Hatt, Shanan Hehir, Kyle Hermansky, Charlotte Hogan, Forest Hopkins, Wei Yu Hung, Michael Jefferson, Benjamin Jenkins, Zachary Jenkins, Devin Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Dunja Jovicic, Claire Kaiser, Diandra Kalish, Morgan Kelley, Shawna Kelley, John Kent Jr., Brian Kish, Emily Knudsen, Michael Koch, Cale Kochenour, Robert Kugle Jr., Ariel Leach, Madeline Lees, Courtney Leggett, Avery Lemnah, Jared Lennox, Dillon Lenz, Robert Leonard, Samuel Levitz, Abigail Lewis, Michael Lijoi, Ruby Madden, Haley Marcus, John Marino, Whitney Marmer, Abby Marsh, David McGrath, Salvatore Mendolia, Dana Midura, Devin Midura, Amelia Morrissey, Sarah Muñoz, Rebecca Murphy, Christopher Murray, Travis Mylott, Jon Nolan II, Danielle Nutter, Christopher Ogilvie, Colin O'Leary, Robin Paland-O'Neill.
Also, Kristen Palmer, Ellen Parent, Sarah Parker, Reva Petrosky, Trevor Pollock, Mackenzie Prasch, Roger Preuss III, Lucy Prouty, Patrick Quinn, Nicole Read, Simora Reilly, Zachary Repinski, Christopher Rhodes, Stephanie Riker, Nathan Ryan, Joseph Saling, Hoon Sang, Kayla Saunders, Richard Savoy, Arianne Schwalbe, Grace Schwartz, Eli Sendra, Robert Sheridan III, Elizabeth Silsby, Logan Smith, Wilson Smith, Dustin Sprague, Sarah Stearns, Christopher Stevens, Kerry Sullivan, Ruochen Sun, Shengbo Sun, Ashley Sweeney, Brittany-Jo Swickle, Alexandra Thomas, Olivia Thompson, Theresa Thompson, Róisín Todd, Courtney Tosone, Nicole Towslee, Alyssa Underwood, Elizabeth VanDelinder, Molly Vey, Craig Walker, Jody White, Parker White, Timothy Whitney, Ellen Wiguna, Caleb Wiley, Leah Wiley, Justin Wilson, Brooke Woodruff, Paige Woodward, Anna Wright, Sierra Wright, Adam Young, Katherine Zarro, Zachary Zoufaly.
20