Springs Celebrates 64th Commencement

Seventy-six seniors became Indian Springs School alumni at the school’s 64th Graduation Exercises held May 25 on the Town Hall lawn overlooking Springs’ iconic lake.

In her welcome remarks, Head of School Dr. Sharon Howell told graduates and more than 750 attendees what an honor it has been to spend the past two years with these “inspiring students.” “You will always own what you did and said and accomplished here,” she said. “You will always have the people you have known and loved here, and I hope you will always recognize the soul and happy genius of this place as you yourselves take to the open road to become who you will be.  Springs will abide here and will always be your home.”

Each year, two senior speakers are selected by faculty and classmates to join Indian Springs’ fall and spring mayors in presenting remarks at the Graduation ceremony. Speakers celebrated the lessons they have learned during their time here and the people—faculty, family members, and fellow students—who have made those lessons possible. Click on the names below to read the full remarks of each of our four distinguished speakers:

“Springs is not just about our rigorous academics, delicious brownies or the bell on top of the dining hall. It teaches us how to be humans. Humans who care deeply about each other and the community here and beyond.”—Yunfei “Cher” Hu ’18

“That’s what’s special about Springs. Even if you just plan on going with the flow,you get dragged into a whirlpool of participation. You do things without really thinking,but over time, you become passionate about contributing something.”—Mark Romero ’18, Fall Mayor

“For the first time we won’t be able to say ‘See you next year.’ This time, goodbye means something different.”—Nathan Fisher ’18, Spring Mayor

“While I was aimlessly walking, I came across many breaths of Indian Springs that reaffirmed my decision to be here. It was the place that peaked my interest but the people that made me stay.”—Bela Patel ’18

Before the awarding of diplomas, Howell and Faculty Emeritus Mac Fleming presented four special awards to members of the Class of 2018:

The recipient is selected by the faculty on the basis of exemplary leadership and character exhibited through participation in student activities.

Recipient: Peter Scalise ’18

Recipients are recognized by their senior classmates as embodying the qualities of dignity, humanitarianism, and spiritual awareness.

Recipients: Bela Patel ’18, Peter Scalise ’18

The Libby Pantazis Award (Established in spring 2018 in honor of outgoing Chairman of the Board Libby Pantazis P ’03, ’06, ’09)

The recipient is selected by the faculty on the basis of exemplary dedication, joy, and passion in service to the school.

Inaugural Recipient: Mark Romero ’18  

Click here to view and download photos from the ceremony. Photos are free to download via this link; simply click on an individual photo, and then click the download icon (the underlined arrow at lower right).

Click here to read a compilation of remarks by all seniors who submitted draft speeches for voting by faculty and classmates.

Congratulations to all our graduates and their families!

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