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On Saturday, June 1, Dana Hall School held its 143rd Commencement Exercises. Under a cloudless blue sky, the 82 members of the Class of 2024 pinned flower crowns in their hair, threw pennies into the Pond and entered the tent filled with faculty, friends and family.
After the procession of faculty and graduates, Head of School Katherine Bradley welcomed students and their guests. She recounted the resilience, flexibility and persistence of a class that finished Middle School and began Upper School during a pandemic, and watched campus transform with the renovation of the Upper School Building. Bradley was followed by remarks from Board of Trustees Chair Courtney Caruso ’05.
Anastasia Sedunova ’24 was selected by her classmates to deliver the Senior Address, and she remarked on how much change they’ve undergone since coming to Dana Hall, like making new friends, navigating different parts of campus or overcoming a challenging class. “For us, the greatest, yet most bittersweet, change of all is that today Dana Hall becomes a memory rather than a place,” Sedunova said. “But today also marks the day when we get to let go of our difficulties, and remember our favorite parts… The memories will remain and sustain us even when we can’t be together.”
Neha Sahni Gaur ’04 took to the podium after Sedunova and delivered the Commencement Address. In her speech, Guar shared how both knowing and being yourself is the key to a successful life. “I know each and every one of you knows what you are made of,” Gaur said. “Your time at Dana Hall has challenged you: it has given you an environment where things were out of reach and then you caught them. There will be times when you are in a class or in a job and you will feel that itch — you know that you belong at that next level... I wish for you each of you that you have a strong support system as you embark on your next phase… But even in the darkest of times I want you to remember that you are the light. You have the tools and skills to create the life you want. You must demand this of yourself each and every day.”
Associate Head of School Rob Mather P24, 26 announced the graduates, and Bradley, Caruso and Director of Upper School Amy Kumpel presented each with their Dana Hall diploma. Outgoing Director of College Counseling Cara Hanig delivered closing remarks, and shared the emotions she felt leaving her own high school community. “It’s okay to feel nervous about what you’re leaving behind, and it’s okay to be excited about what lies ahead, and it’s even okay to hold both of those emotions at the same time,” she said. “And if you do feel nervous, or sad, think about what that says — it says that that thing, that builds community or makes your heart full, is important to you.”
After putting their arms around each other and singing the Alma Mater for the last time this year, the newest Dana alumnae received hugs and congratulations from their teachers and families.