News
The Class of 2019 Has “Stage Presence”
Posted June 15, 2012
On Wednesday, June 13, 2012, the Class of 2019 officially finished its time in Germantown Academy’s Lower School and will resume its GA journey in the Alter Middle School in the fall.
“We used to say, ‘we send you across the Quad,’ which I guess is still true, but we really are just sending you down the hall, past the Dining Room, past the Honickman Auditorium, up the stairwell—to shine,” said Assistant Head of Lower School Sherrea Chadwin 1760. “Find your stage in the Middle School and shine. Be a presence as well as make that presence known in all the form of leadership you collectively possess. What will the next picture look like? From Mother Goose, to Forest Fest, to…It is up to you to find your next stage.”
“Thank you Class of 2019,” continued Mrs. Chadwin. “You’ve set the bar high for the Class of 2020. But Class of 2020, you must have the vision of leadership. You have partnered well with the Class of 2019, and now it is your turn; you are the next leaders. What will we be saying about you at the next Final Assembly? Find your stage and shine, shine, shine.”
Before members of the Class of 2019 walked across the stage in the Arts Center to receive their Fifth Grade diploma, Mrs. Chadwin told them how impressed she was with their recent Forest Fest production and overall presence during their time in the Lower School.
“The class of 2019 has stage presence,” said Mrs. Chadwin. “Clearly, this class has always had something special going for them. And they nursed it and developed it through trips to the theatre in kindergarten and first grade, Reader’s Theater in first and second grades, Native American plays in second grade, and of course through the development of their characters for Colonial Day and the Wax Museum in third grade, and the various simulations enjoyed in fourth grade. Class of 2019, you’ve always had that presence, that impressive quality that garners admiration and respect; and you’ve taken advantage of the presented opportunities at each grade level to grow that quality. We didn’t see it just at Forest Fest, we saw it during concerts, simulations, and performances as you entertained us as musicians, dancers, actors, as politicians, industrialists and nursery rhyme characters.”
“That stage presence manifested itself in the form of leadership presence,” continued Mrs. Chadwin. “We saw it at Field Day, a day of some of the best displays of good sportsmanship, effort, and athletic performances we have seen in a long time. We saw it in the form of leadership of CSO and Student Senate initiatives, where you raised more funds for a variety of causes than in recent years—more than $4,500 at your dance-a-thon and over $1,900 for UNICEF. We saw it as you set the tone of the week by offering the latest news and advice to the entire Lower School via Monday morning PA system announcements. And your organization of the Variety Show, the best so far.
“And that stage presence manifested itself in the form of academic and artistic leadership: Math Olympiads, in your creative writing—journey stories, scary stories, struggle poetry, personal essays—Things Inside Me, your sculptures, pen and ink drawings, Chines kites and the Chinese dragon.”
At the assembly, Kara M. '20 and Jash K. '20 were presented with the Kershaw Medal for the Fourth Grade and Addison C. ’19 and Scott C. ’19 were presented with the Kershaw Medal for the Fifth Grade. The Kershaw Medal is presented to a boy and a girl in the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth grades in memory of Dr. William Kershaw (GA Headmaster, 1877-1915) for scholarship, deportment, honor and general character.
Allan K. ’19 and John K. ’20 won the Math Olympiad awards while Emma C. ’19 won the Elma Coonrad Trupin Award, which is presented to a Fifth Grade student for exemplifying encouraging, and promoting good human-relations.
CLICK HERE to view photos of the Lower School Final Assembly on SmugMug.
