Commencement 2018
June 1, 2018
Cate School held its traditional Commencement exercises Sunday, May 27, 2018, marking the School’s 105th graduation ceremony.
With the assistance of the school’s President of the Board of Trustees, J. Wyatt Gruber ’93, Head of School Ben Williams conferred diplomas upon the 72 members of the Class of 2018. In true Cate fashion, Williams recognized every student with a personally-crafted citation describing the contributions and talents of each during their years at Cate.
Under blue and sunny skies and in the presence of families, friends, faculty, students, alumni, and members of Cate’s board of trustees, the ceremony marked the achievements of its students.
Williams spoke first, referencing a difficult year for the School and surrounding communities. “History arrived on our doorstep in the form of a fire and then a flood. Our lives, with which we had all become relatively comfortable, were disrupted. We had to leave. And then we had to stay. We had to worry about our school, or our friends, or even the belongings we left behind.”
He pointed to the “history” that isn’t recorded – the small, seemingly insignificant “moments that are important not so much to the world, but to each of us.” He said, “With this ceremony, we acknowledge the end of an unprecedented year, not because of the big things we couldn’t control but for the little things that we could. Thank you for that: for the year you have made, for the vitality you have given our Mesa, for your joy in the seemingly mundane, and for the greatness in each small gesture. Lives were changed and improved through such graciousness every day.”
Science teacher Paul Denison ’72 was chosen by the senior class to give the faculty address. He spoke to the students about finding balance in their lives. “Strive for balance. Most of us live a very unbalanced life here; there’s too much going on, too much to accomplish, too many things to do and not enough time to do them. You’ll have time next year. Use it. Balance serious study with the time to reflect, rest, and enjoy your journey. Find your equilibrium.”
Senior Julia Farner of Ojai, CA, was selected by her classmates to give the student address. She shared with the audience the uncertainty she and her classmates were feeling as they prepared to leave their School. “So while we spent a lot of time focusing on how to answer questions with responses that sound, or even are, educated or researched or nuanced, what feels even more valuable is leaving this place with a willingness to accept the fact that everything will probably be really inconclusive and maybe even unanswerable for just about the rest of our lives. And to not just accept it, but start to revel in it.”
In addition to diplomas, the Cate’s highest honors to both students and faculty were presented during the ceremony.
Farner and classmate Ian MacFarlane received the William Shepard Biddle Cup, the school’s highest honor. Named for one of Cate’s most distinguished alumni, the award recognizes seniors who best demonstrate the qualities of humanism, idealism, and the desire to achieve that Cate seeks to teach its students. Farner will continue her academic studies at Pomona College and MacFarlane will attend Stanford University.
The Scholarship Cup, the Cate’s highest academic recognition, was awarded to Carter Melnick of Westport, CT. He graduated with highest honors and will continue his studies at Williams College in Williamstown, MA.
Several other seniors were honored with special awards, to wide and enthusiastic applause.
Alum and trustee Casey McCann ’93 was awarded the Servons Award
McCann, general manager of Hazelwood Moving and Storage was lauded for his assistance during the Montecito debris flow. Headmaster Ben Williams said “When the afflicted Central Coast called for help, this young man and the moving company he leads were at ground zero, literally wading through mud and debris to rescue people and belongings. Though displaced from his own home, our alumnus thought only of others, working without rest to care for the families of Carpinteria, Montecito, and Santa Barbara.”
The ceremony marked the culmination of a weekend of commencement festivities, including a Saturday athletic and academic awards ceremony and an evening baccalaureate service.
Cate’s Class of 2018 will matriculate to many of the nation’s leading colleges and universities in the fall including Stanford, Columbia, Williams, Cornell, UCLA, Emory, NYU, Pomona, Middlebury, and many others.
View a gallery of photos from Commencement.