Harvey Commencement in New Gym

Fifty-five seniors at The Harvey School made some history Thursday when their 2013 commencement ceremony was held indoors in the new 22,000 square-foot athletic center.  In previous years, the school had conducted its commencement exercise under a large white tent on the upper playing fields.

While the venue broke with tradition, the program itself did not. Once again Pipe Major Jonathan Henken led the procession of the graduates into the gym to the tune of “Earl of Mansfield.” The girls in white dresses and the boys in navy blue blazers and navy and maroon striped ties paraded in twos and filed into the rows of white seats in front of the dais situated on a raised platform decked with a table of prizes.

Rabbi David Greenberg of Temple Shaaray Tefila of Bedford Corners gave the invocation in which he called upon the graduates to “go forth to do your share to fix some of the brokenness of the world.” Headmaster Barry Fenstermacher’s welcoming remarks included a salute to the “distinguished academic record” of the class. Citing their many accomplishments in and out of the classroom, the Headmaster said the graduates “have earned their self-esteem and, in fact, have simply thrived.”

Commencement speaker Matthew Cross, the founder and president of Leadership Alliance, shared the “five guiding principles” that helped inspire him to succeed. He told the graduates to think of life as “an ongoing classroom where everyone and everything is your teacher.”

The valedictory address was delivered by Jesse Silbert, Harvey’s top scholar. The Weston, Conn. resident, who plans to study at Columbia University this fall, called upon his classmates to “embrace change and be willing to make the climb,” adding, “we might fall but we may also soar.”

Revered Daniel Lennox, the associate rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, gave the benediction before the traditional handing over of the Spirit Cup from Student Council President Karina Lambert to her successor Jahbari Taylor, signifying the changing of the guard of student leadership.

When the sounds of “The Minstrel Boy” could be heard from Piper Jonathan Henker, the music signaled the end of the ceremony and time for the recessional of the faculty followed by the graduates, who exited the gym and gathered with family and friends on the quad.