News & Events 2004-2005

Welcome to Commencement

Benton W. Connor and Kathleen Lauren Haselton, members of the Senior Class Council, welcomed their fellow graduates, guests and members of the Blair community to the 157th Commencement Exercises at Blair Academy on Saturday, May 28. Their welcome speeches follow.

Good morning graduates, faculty, parents, students and alumni. Today, 122 seniors will graduate and leave Blair to move on to colleges, jobs, and most immediately, summer. After these four years at Blair, I’ve finally come to the conclusion that, without this school, most of us would be facing a drastically different future. I’ve realized that the most important lesson taught at Blair is the ability to balance a strong will with an open mind.

Many of us come from diverse backgrounds. Whether from quite obviously different cultures or simply different lifestyles, all of the students who come to Blair have various stories to tell. What comes with different lifestyles however, is a diversity in opinion as well. And, when strong-willed opinions clash, conflict will inevitably ensue. What Blair has taught me, however, is that an opinion can only be as strong as its knowledge of the opposition.

Coming to Blair allowed me to voice myself without fearing a backlash. Six years ago in my former school I was scowled upon for voicing an opinion. This year over 50 students boarded a bus to attend an event hosting Michael Moore, and another group went to see Laura Bush speak. This is evidence of only one of the numerous opportunities we have been given to express our various opinions. The idea that students can take a stand for something they believe in is a true reflection of the strong will Blair helps instill in its students.

The balance that must be achieved, however, is between not just a strong will, but an open mind as well. Without such, one’s opinion is simply biased and unjustified. It has taken me four years to realize that conceding defeat does not mean failure; rather, it represents the acceptance of another’s viewpoint – a lesson I hope all of us picked up along the way.

So, because of Blair, and Blair being not just the authority figures and teachers but rather even more so the various students and peers, we have been taught to see that many diverse viewpoints and lifestyles are not threatening. They simply represent a chance to learn something and diversify our own opinions and future. And with that knowledge, we’ll continue on with one of the most valuable lessons one can learn: that you cannot be right, about anything, without fully understanding what you are proclaiming wrong.
 
It has been stated that our senior class is “uniquely diverse yet uncommonly easygoing,” and for that, I thank all of you. To the Class of 2005, on behalf of your Senior Class Council, I thank you for a memorable four years and wish you all luck in the years ahead. And to everyone assembled here, welcome to our graduation, the Class of 2005.

– Kathleen Lauren Haselton

Welcome graduates, parents, family, alumni, Trustees and friends. For a few years now, the thought of graduation has been kept in the back of our minds as something distant and almost unreachable. Now, after numerous formal dinners, memorable classes, nights of lounging in the Can, Peddie Days, and the unforgettable School Meetings, we are faced with the reality that it is finally time to move on from Blair.

As we gather together for the last time as a class, we are allowed to reflect and look back on the accomplishments and lessons learned during our time here. The Class of 2005 is a class comprised of different and unique individuals, many of whom have their own talents and capabilities. The various friendships forged over the years have grown stronger than ever this year and, hopefully, these significant bonds of friendship will never break and will continue through college and beyond. The comfort and support of various friends and faculty have always served as a form of salvation in difficult times. When we look back on our time at Blair, we will think of how much this school and its people have done for us. In the path towards maturity, they have helped us to grow and flourish. Having been blessed with the numerous opportunities at this school, we will now be prepared to step out of the comfort zone of Blair and into a whole new world of other opportunities. Wherever we may go, we will always carry our memories with us, and the part Blair has played in our hearts and in our minds will live on forever. Again, welcome and thank you for coming.

– Benton W. Connor

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