Page 7 - Priorities 7

Bernadette Austin
The Salutatorian is selected by the Headmaster in consultation with the faculty, on the basis of significant academic, social and personal contributions to school life.
In her introduction, Academic Dean Deborah Whalen said:
Bernie earned the reputation of being a hard worker. No matter how difficult a class, Bernie was always well prepared...Her enthusiasm for school life is contagious (in athletics and student government.) Bernie channeled her
energies and when called upon, she assumed many roles of leadership within the school community. Following are excerpts from her speech.
Have you ever toured your
house one last time before moving from it? You pace around
and with each step you take you recall another memory. Although the rooms are empty, your heart and mind are filled with memories of the past. In this same way, I recall my experiences at the Priory...
When I recall the events of this last year, I see a contagious outbreak of ‘Senioritis.’ My classmates and I began focusing on our interests, our friends and our futures...I think of us as adults-in-the-making.
We spent this year discovering who we were and where we wanted to be. We considered our strong and weak subjects to determine our college majors. We spent the year reevaluating our friendships, deciding what kind of people we really identified with. We received college acceptances and rejections and thus, planned our futures...Throughout these last four years, we have made the transition into adulthood, Our parents have supported us, our teachers have guided us and our peers have uplifted us. Here we stand before you, young men and women ready to move out from the Priory, our familiar old home, to our new home, the vast world that lies before us.
Luz Lopez and Terrell Virgil (left) both entered the Priory through Peninsula Bridge, a program of support for academically talented middle school students.Luz planstoattendMenloCollegelocally after completing community college. Terrell will attend University of the Pacific, where he plans to play basketball.
Suzanne Kovacs, recipient of the Father Benignus F. Barat Citizenship Award, received a congratulatory handshake from Michael Gullard, President of the Board of Trustees. Suzi’s father, Louis, has been landscaper and gardener for the Priory since its earliest days.Hermother,Klara,managesthebookstore. Suzi has literally grown up on the campus.
Anne Mecham (above) flew home from Wales to graduate with her class. She will complete a second year at the United World College to earn her high school International Baccalaureate Degree, then come home to California for college. Classmate Derek Thomas (not pictured) spent his junior year sailing around the world with an international educational program. He returned to the Senior Dorm and completed his last year with his class.