Graduation: A grand tradition

On May 29, 2009, Purnell School held its 42^nd graduation. Twenty-nine students walked across the stage and received their diplomas making our alumnae count 1,263. Each alumna, whether a graduate of the class of 1968, 2009 or any class in between, shares the same guidelines and values that Purnell teaches, yet each girl is a unique individual.

Senior, Michele Tirondola, spoke at Friday’s graduation and began her remarks with a quote from Shakespeare’s As You Like It. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man (or woman) in his (or her) time plays many parts.” She went on to say “As I stand here reflecting on our graduating class, I see an entire cast of different, unique characters, each one having played many roles and made many entrances on this 83-acre set we call Purnell School. All of us held lead roles; we took our stage by storm, and presented what we had to our audiences. We played the roles of artists, writers, designers, actors, politicians, students, and sisters. Although each of us had our own distinct and different parts to play, each part contributed to the ensemble we’ve become. We didn’t automatically fall into the place we all are in now. Just like any kind of successful show, we had to fail miserably in rehearsals first. Each year, while its own act, felt like a rehearsal for this year, our final show. It’s remarkable to look to the past, and see how much we all have grown.”

Head of School Ayanna Hill-Gill welcomed the class of 2009 into the next chapter of their Purnell experience. No longer students, they have joined over 1200 others as Purnell Alumnae. Ms. Hill-Gill started off her remarks with the poem Alone by Maya Angelou. She went on to say that as Maya Angelou resounds throughout her poem, nobody can make it alone, and as graduates of Purnell, they are never alone. As with every other graduate of Purnell, each alumna has been given the opportunities that will make them successful “outliers” as defined by Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers. An outlier is described as those who are extraordinarily successful in all they do. Ms. Hill-Gill used Gladwell’s breakdown of the hours it takes to become a master at something and found that each of our students and alumnae have had time while at Purnell to master something. That something is themselves.

“The programs at Purnell, both academic and co-curricular, allowed you to explore yourselves as learners, thinkers, students, friends, and most importantly, people. You’ve been allowed to practice being yourself at a place that encourages you to push yourself to varying levels of scholarship, but not at the expense of losing who you are at the core. You’ve discovered your strengths and passions, and surpassed your challenges in a community that has embraced you for who you are. You, ladies, have mastered yourselves, and you have the confidence to prove it. There are 41 other classes that have come before you who share in this Purnell experience. They, too, have spent over 10,000 hours mastering themselves. And because of that, you are not alone.

To the members of the class of 2009, although you come from a variety of states and countries, with different upbringings and thoughts, you share common values. In these times of uncertainty where things seem complex and muddy, and in a world where ethics and morality are continuously being questioned and challenged, you have experienced founding guidelines that will anchor you in life. You have brought with you to school one set of values that will never be lost, and added to your core the principles of faith, loyalty, truth and perseverance. There have been 41 other classes that embraced the guidelines of the school. You will stand with them in the Purnell culture and history, and because of that you, are never alone.

The Class of 2009 will have the success that so many other young women only wish they had. All because of your connection and experiences at Purnell. Today, you the Class of 2009, join over 1200 other Purnell Alumnae as outliers ready to take your place in the world. Your success has already begun and because of that you will never, never be alone.”

Purnell has always been a positive “set” in each of our graduate’s lives. It is one of many performances in which they will take part.  Here they can grow, change and become the characters that they would like to be in the world.  We wish the Class of 2009 and all of our Alumnae the best!

View more pictures of the event:

Getting Ready,Walking the Path,Toast
Reception,Ceremony,Last Name A – F,
Last Name G – L,Last Name M – R,Last Name S – Z,Setting The Stage,Hat Throw

You’re going to college . . . now what?

You did it! You’ve survived the stress that is senior year. At times you probably didn’t think that you would get here, but with lots of hard work, patience and humor, you did it! You persevered and experienced the joy of the fat envelope and the pain of the thin envelope. By now you’ve chosen the school you’ll attend in the fall and you’re simultaneously excited and nervous about this next segment of your journey.

It’s hard to believe that graduation is just a week and a half away. Although you’ve had “Senioritis” for months, all of a sudden you find yourself becoming sentimental. You now realize that this school on an old dairy farm has really been your home away from home. You may finally recognize that the teacher that has challenged you for the past four years was doing it with good intentions. You may even thank him or her. You’re probably a lot more emotional than you’ve been in a long time. You readily admit to getting teary as you listened to Gabby, Jesse, Beth and Ashley sing “Lean on Me” at the recent Performing Arts Night.

Like most milestones, the experience of graduating high school and moving on to college is a little overwhelming. You have no idea what is in store for you at the college or university you’ll attend. You wonder… Will I like my roommate? Will I pass all of my classes? Will I know where I’m going? Will I have friends? We are here to tell you that you ARE well prepared to be successful college students and you have a great future ahead of you.

College life will be different than life at Purnell. You will definitely have “more”…more students, more homework, more time with boys, more internet hours and more stress. Life in P’ville was simpler, but all of the rules and schedules were the building blocks for college, which in turn will provide the building blocks for a career. We hope you will utilize all that you learned at Purnell in your future pursuits.

You bring so much to the college or university that you’ll attend in the fall. You know how to write effectively, do scientific research, and work collaboratively with your classmates on projects. You are able to advocate for yourself in the classroom and have strong time management skills. You have the motivation to be involved in extracurricular activities and the leadership experience to be successful in whatever you decide to pursue. You are comfortable living with a diverse population and can successfully navigate different social situations. You are strong, self-confident, and articulate young women and you are ready to take this next step.

Enjoy your last few days on campus and soak it all in. Be proud of all that you’ve accomplished during your time at Purnell and know that you have a great future ahead of you. We are so proud of each of you and wish you the best of luck!