Teachers, coaches, staff, parents, grandparents, and friends gathered on Gilley Field today to bid farewell to the class of 2017.
The 93 members of the class of 2017 have done it all: they are members of the robotics team, every sports team, every club, and every organization. They are artists and actors and activitsts, they are writers and scientists and mathematicians. They are friends, and they are Griffins.
This year's commencement speakers were kindergarten teachers John Ayers and Shawn Romero, salutatorian Rebecca Baron, Upper School history teacher Michael Petrella, and valedictorian Henri Stern.
Stern charged his fellow classmates to "be mindful of your convictions and act on them. Be actively engaged," he said. "Relationships must be actively forged and attended to. Life is not a spectator sport."
Each of the speeches, Stern's included, touched on one theme: in the face of difference and adversity, don't shy away. Be active, be present, and be compassionate.
Upper School students of Spanish 3 Honors, Spanish 4 Honors, and AP Spanish attended the dress rehearsal of the opera, El último sueño de Frida y Diego, and stopped for lunch at the Pueblo de Los Angeles on Olvera Street.