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By LOU HATTER
RappafcaiMMk New* Staff Writer
The atmosphere was laden with the mixture of exuberance and sadness common to all graduations as the members of the Class of 1987 at Rappahannock County High School and Wakefield Country School received their diplomas at commencement exercises last weekend.
"We’re very fortunate to have such a fine group of young people in our community,” said School Board Chairman Beverly Massie, welcoming the standingroom-only audience to the RCHS graduation Saturday morning. "We will miss them,” she continued, “but we wish them well.”
Jonathan Watson, valedictorian and winner of one of 1,400 coveted appointments to the Air Force Academy, as well as the President’s Academic Fitness Award, reminded the audience — and his peers — that commencement is defined as “a beginning.” He added that as seniors, "We thought this day would never come ... for our parents, it has come too soon .. . for our teachers, it didn’t come soon enough.”
The beginning, Mr. Watson continued, is as a part of "the Real World . . . with new freedoms — and new responsibilities. Our teachers have tried to instill in us a sense of those responsibilities — I hope that we will not let them down.”
Sean Bennett, Wakefield School’s valedictorian, echoed Mr. Watson’s reflections in his address Sunday evening. “We must recognize the obligation which accompanies our abilities. We are capable of making substantial and influential contributions during our lives. It is important that we live up to our abilities.”
“Why?” he asked rhetorically.
“Because there is a satisfaction in doing our best... and an emptiness in failing” to strive for the best. “The need is primary... if we are among the best, the obligation falls to us,” Mr. Bennett repeated. “We must strive to meet the goals of ourselves and others.”
Mr. Bennett, 16-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John Bennett of Boston, Va., is a National Merit Scholar, Virginia Scholar, and finalist in the Presidential Scholar competition. He will likely return to Wakefield next year for a post-graduate program before continuing his studies at Stanford University in the fall of 1988.
Susan Bloss, a Fauquier County science teacher who taught previously in Rappahannock, gave the commencement address at RCHS. “Your distinct personalities have merged into one outstanding graduating class. I compliment you and your parents for enriching the world with such fine adults... How jealous I am of your new experiences; I wish I were in your shoes.”
“I propose,” she suggested, “that you shift your focus with new insights.. . using a creative approach to Rib. your teachers — they’ve heard your excuses, seen your pranks, your creative dress, your personalities, the lock- ’ era they’ve passed...
“They’ve also seen you when you are put to the test. Creative insights,” Mrs. Bloss continued, “make the difference between a life full of excitement or endless ruts. All it takes is a shift in focus — new insights — to make a bad situation into a good one . . . Don’t let attitudes or prejudices stand in your way.”
(See GRADUATES, page 11)
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