Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

On Friday we celebrated the 8th grade class as they attended their Bookplate Presentation and Graduation Ceremony. During the Bookplate Ceremony in the morning, the graduates and their families and guests, as well as faculty members, and staff gathered together on Zoom to hear a lovely tribute about each student by their teachers, paired with the sustainability murals they created in Mr. Delacey’s art class. More than 300 people attended the Graduation Ceremony in the afternoon. It was a joyous virtual event, consisting of a “Wow Factor” video, which displayed the 8th graders’ self portraits around the Close, as well as a “Well Wishes” video, featuring each faculty and staff member, who left a message of congratulations for the Class of 2020. Chaplain Patti Welch served as the officiant and hosted the Opening Sentences, and Opening and Closing Prayers.
 
Ms. Ann Bryant was the Commencement Speaker, who began her speech with, “If you know me, you know I love telling stories, so here’s one last story for you to enjoy,
it’s called “The Class of 2020” and it’s written by the Cathedral School of St. John the
Divine.” She walks us through their journey in Lower School and Upper School, and how they have grown into mature leaders of their community at Cathedral, persevering despite there being a pandemic and social unrest as they finished their final year. Ann shares, “As members of The Cathedral School community you are experts at creating and sustaining ties that will carry you through difficult times. You know each other intimately, so being physically apart in this time of stress and uncertainty cannot destroy the web of connections that exists as a result of the shared experience you all have because you are students at The Cathedral School.” You can read her whole speech by clicking here.
 
This year ended like no other for our 8th graders, but as Ann mentioned, they have continued to show their strength and dedication to their community, both at Cathedral and beyond. We will miss them but wish them all the best as they start a new journey in the Fall. 
 
Links to the 8th Grade Celebration, Bookplate Presentation, and Graduation Ceremony will be shared in the days to come. If you have photos from any of the events, please email them to advancement@cathedralnyc.org.
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