A Fitting Send-Off for Upper School Grads
On May 26, the Principia School community gathered with families and friends in a packed McCalmont Gym to celebrate the accomplishments of the Upper School Class of 2019.
Head of School Travis Brantingham (US’94, C’98) congratulated the students on their accomplishments, noting, “You have built robots, competed in state championships, put on amazing productions, written outstanding papers, created beautiful art, won a House cup, and many of you have slept under the night sky on a sailboat!”
Brantingham then told the graduates, “As you leave us today, and take this community with you, I want you to think about the advice of Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, who wrote, ‘A Christian Scientist is a humanitarian; he is benevolent, forgiving, long-suffering, and seeks to overcome evil with good’ (Manual of The Mother Church, p. 46). Wherever your spiritual journey takes you, I want to encourage you to stay anchored to Mrs. Eddy’s advice. To think of yourself as a humanitarian, to be benevolent, to be forgiving, to be long-suffering and seek out opportunities to shine the light of goodness in the darkest parts of the world.”
The commencement speaker was Commander Terry Grigsby (US’97, C’01), who is currently serving as deputy branch chief, Global Operations Division, U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. Commander Grigsby’s operational assignments include tours on the USS Stump, USS Saipan, and with the U.S. Seventh Fleet. He has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, supporting the U.S. Marine Corps and NATO.
Grigsby is a product of Principia School and College, attending from Lower School through College. He told stories of being raised by his tough-minded great-grandmother and learning how to “be humble, love others, and fear nothing.”
Using metaphors from his Navy experience, Grigsby encouraged the students to be prepared for storms, as “even the smallest storms can cause serious damage for unprepared vessels.” He also advised them to find trusted confidants who will tell you when you are going off course and metaphorically push you to become seasoned sailors. He told the graduating students, “The world is now your classroom. Knowledge when put into practice becomes experience.”
Grigsby’s message fit perfectly with the frequent conversations about “grit,” “growth mindsets,” and “magnifying the good” that have been an integral part of the graduates’ education at the Upper School.
Following a standing ovation and genuine outpouring of appreciation for Grigsby’s resounding talk, the seniors each walked the dais to receive their diplomas, tossed their caps in the air, and filed out through a walkway lined by applauding faculty. The stormy morning weather cleared to blue sky so that graduates could celebrate with family and friends on the Green, capturing the moment in photos. (View a Facebook photo album or watch graduation.)
The 62 members of the graduating class have received 142 acceptances from 82 colleges and universities from coast to coast—including Dartmouth College, Davidson College, Butler University, several University of California campuses, and Principia College.