For the week of June 5 - 11, 2002

Seniors star at Community School graduation

Dreyfuss speaks to Class of 2002

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"You don’t need to be mean. It’s so much easier and so much nicer to be nice."

RICHARD DRYFUSS, Commencement speaker

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By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer

The Community School graduation Sunday had a lot in common with the Academy Awards, and the similarities extended beyond the ceremony’s three-hour running time.

Held outdoors despite cool weather and gray skies, the independent school’s 26th graduation ceremony featured high drama as 600 students, family and friends bravely stared down the threatening skies and virtually wished away the rain.

Commencement speaker Richard Dreyfuss, left, and Community School headmaster Dr. Jon Maksik, right, share a smile during Sunday’s graduation in Sun Valley. Express photo by Willy Cook

The stars of the show, showing Halle Berry-like emotions, were the 27 Community School graduating seniors, who demonstrated their tightness and allegiance to each other through heartfelt personal reflections.

Senior speakers Sarah Bahan and Chadd Montgomery gave performances worthy of four stars. With good-natured humor and insight, they revealed anecdotes about their classmates and themselves—proving, as Bahan said, that as a class they were a puzzle that always fit together.

Sounding a cautionary note was headmaster Jon Maksik. In his opening remarks, he warned, "We live in an era cursed by absolutism and certitude, and we look to young men and women to lift that curse."

But Maksik was only briefly the scold. He saluted the school’s teachers and their allegiance to the intellect, spirit and imaginations of the students. Ending the ceremony, he listed his own personal recollections of each student in a graceful speech.

And Maksik introduced the ceremony’s own Best Actor winner, commencement speaker Richard Dreyfuss, a celebrity content to be known on this day as simply the father of senior Emily Dreyfuss.

The 27 Community School graduating seniors take their final bows during Sunday’s commencement. Express photo by Willy Cook

Richard Dreyfuss, called by Maksik "one of the world’s leading and most accomplished actors," started by saying, "There is no greater pressure than being invited to speak at your own daughter’s graduation."

That said, in his magnificent and familiar voice, Dreyfuss went on to start and end his 14-minute talk with testaments of love for his daughter, and he also filled the body of his speech with what he called "nifty little phrases" of worldly advice.

With all that people need to do in their lives, he said they do not need to know everything, nor do they need to judge, be right all the time, keep score, get even, control and look good on all occasions. "You don’t need to be mean. It’s so much easier and so much nicer to be nice," he said.

Dreyfuss used the illustration of T-shirt slogans as an example of life’s precarious balance, where people are as often wrong as they are right.

One slogan might say, "We always forgive in others what we cannot forgive in ourselves." He explained, "It would be a good thing if we could give each other a break."

Another T-shirt, showing the other side of the coin, might say, "We never forgive in others what we casually forgive in ourselves." Dreyfuss noted with humor, "You can see that example most easily driving in traffic."

Quoting playwright Edward Albee on the nature of life’s winding road, Dreyfuss added, "Sometimes it is necessary to go a long distance out of the way to come back a short distance correctly."

Graduating seniors were Casey Siegel Anderson, Sarah Catherine Bahan, Dustin Boland Blair, Emily Robin Dreyfuss, Lauren Kathleen Drew, Ryan Christopher Drew, Darren Andrus Goldberg, Lee Fowler Gurney, Nicholas Davis Hanscom, Joshua Michael Kantor, Jonathan Granton Peter Kennedy and Zachary Seth Koffler;

Also, Kimberly Corey Lind, Katherine Jane Matteson, Langely Ross McNeal, Abigail Louise Minford, Chadd Spain Montgomery, Quinn Taylor Orb, Tamara Asia Parten, Brianna Leslie Rego, Blake Goodrich Schnebly, Patrick Hayes Sherwood, Joshua Cole Stanek, Liliana Tenney, Jamie Lynn Terry, Madeleine Courtney Weisz and Gifford James Wilcox.

Besides the pomp and circumstance of the day, one of the highlights was deep-voiced Quinn Orb singing a cross-generation solo of Sammy Fain’s classic "I’ll Be Seeing You." He received a standing ovation.

 

Speeches, awards and more

Josh Kantor and Quinn Orb made the Yearbook Dedication to Bob Doyle, History Chair and advisor in charge of community service and golf.

As its senior gift, the Class of 2002, represented by Lauren Drew and Ryan Drew, presented new benches for the school’s quad and a new arbor that was used for Sunday’s graduation processional.

Among awards presented was the 2002 Beaupre Achievement Award. The school's oldest honor goes to seniors who maintain high standards of scholarship, leadership, citizenship and athletic achievement.

This year's recipient was Quinn Orb.

Past Beaupre honorees: 2001, Graham Donald. 2000, Colleen Enright. 1999, Lindsey Monahan. 1998, Jessica Wasilewski. 1997, Martina Muehlegger. 1996, Patrick Casey. 1995, Ann Flanagan. 1994, Ben Brock. 1993, Darsh Amrit and Benji Hill. 1992, Matt Leidecker. 1991, Zachary Crist. 1990, Stephanie Fryberger and Erik Leidecker. 1989, Tria Katz and Michael Olander;

1988, Kristan Klingelhofer. 1987, Scott Albro. 1986, Harry Weekes. 1985, Ned Klingelhofer. 1984, Cordy Snyder. 1983, Bob Passaro. 1982, Whit Atkinson and Nicole LeFavour. 1981, Deeder Petersen. 1980, The Class of 1980. 1979, Darby Brown. 1978, Alexis Hamill. 1977, Stephen Rumpp.

Dr. Maksik announced graduating seniors Ryan Drew and Tami Parten as the 2002 Headmaster's Award winners. The award goes to the sophomore, junior or senior who made a significant difference in the life of the Sun Valley school.

Gayle Kerr presented the $1,000 Idaho Mountain Express Award, given annually since 1988, to Sarah Bahan.

Josh Kantor received the Laura S. Flood Memorial Honorarium, which was announced by Richard Hislaire.

The 11th Tom Johnson Memorial Award for excellence in performing arts was given by Dr. Maksik to Quinn Orb. Winner of the 12th Dixie Grabos Memorial Award for the appreciation and love of literature was Emily Dreyfuss. Presenter was Fred Grabos.

Recognition for senior project honors went to Sarah Bahan, Emily Dreyfuss, Katie Matteson, Langely McNeal, Abby Minford, Quinn Orb, Tami Parten, Brianna Rego and Madeleine Weisz.

Ryan Drew was the winner of the Klingelhofer Senior Speech award. Bill McDorman presented The Trophy Sagebrush Award for imagination to Patrick Sherwood.

Honors distributed at Sunday's commencement and at the school's awards ceremony Friday included:

Selected as graduating winners of the Peggy and Sigi Engl Memorial Achievement Awards were Ryan Drew and Zac Koffler.

The Engl awards go to two students at each grade level who demonstrate the most significant improvement in performance through effort, determination and hard work.

Other recipients of the Engl prize during Friday's awards assembly:

Junior class, Beth Bagley and Kristin Hickey. Sophomore class, Jimmy Fairchild and Jenny Rutherford. Freshman class, Tyler Martin and Scarlet Caldwell.

Eighth grade, Elizabeth Bates and Corinna Pidgeon. Seventh grade, Coco Knudson and Sidney Parkhill. Sixth grade, Cody Boeger and Katie Seville.

The Wellesley College Book Award went to Pauli Ochi. The Smith College Book Award was given to Annie Alcid.

Alissa Praggastis received the Williams College Book Award. Recipient of the Whitman College Book Award was Josiah Drewien. Joe Jesinger earned the Colby College Book Award.

Given for the 19th year, faculty scholarships were presented to Max Danielson and Josiah Drewien. Jamie Terry took home the Anne Reed Gallery Award.

Headmaster’s Scholarship recipients were Kira Tenney, Hannes Thum and Scarlet Caldwell. They are continuing scholarships through their graduations.

Winners of the Middle School Community Award were Amanda Harris (eighth grade), Sara Berman (seventh grade) and Hannah Hennessey (sixth grade).

The Tom Bloomfield Memorial Scholarship went to Brennan Rego.

Kira Tenney once again earned the Greg Allison Memorial Scholarship. Recipient of the Karen Wright Cardozo Memorial Scholarship was Taylor Straley.

Community service awards were distributed to:

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Gold (50-plus hours): Annie Alcid, Ginna Anderson, Elizabeth Bates, Tracy Chubb, Chris Cook, Erika Connelly, Max Danielson, Andrew Durtschi, Caroline Fairchild, Jim Fairchild, Sigi Fostvedt, Alysse Gelet, Amanda Harris, Max Harris, Spencer Harris, John Hayes, Kristin Hickey, Joe Jesinger, Samantha Jones, Ben Luck, Teddy Minford, Kingsley Murphy, Patty Ocampo, Pauli Ochi, Corinna Pidgeon, Alissa Praggastis, Brianna Rego, Taylor Rothgeb, Ethan Weston and Britt Williams.

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Silver (35-plus hours): Sara Alcid, Sarah Bahan, Cody Boeger, Isabelle Cannell, Skip deFabry, Sean Higgins, Khrystyne Inman, Zac Koffler, Noah Loyd, Katie Matteson, Kroger Schwartz, Josh Sonneland, Drew Stoecklein, Jamie Terry and Will Van Eaton.

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Bronze (25-plus hours): Casey Anderson, Beth Bagley, Joan Baumgardner, Sara Berman, Kim Brown, Zachary Brown, Reed Boeger, Carina Covella, Cody Curran, Jessie Curran, Alexandra Dallago, Christian Dallago, Alisa Durkheimer, Bobby Flanigan, Wes Flanigan, Jon Goldberg, McKenzie Hart, Ash Higgins, Kyle Koski, Morgan LaPeter, Chadd Montgomery, Luc McCann, Lexie Praggastis, Brennan Rego, Delamon Rego, Regan O’Reilly, Scooter Sabel, Hunter Smith, Hannes Thum, Anika Van Eaton, Reid Welsh and Bowen Williams.

 

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