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The GPS Class of 2018 Celebrates Commencement

Family, friends, classmates, and faculty gather to share in the accomplishments of the 102 graduating seniors.
Today marks the culmination of years of hard work—of friendships made and relationships formed between students and teachers, of shared victories in the classroom and on the courts and fields, of late night study sessions and group messages about assignments. Because once all the essays have been written, topics debated, projects completed, numbers crunched, and tests submitted, the only thing left to do is to don a white robe, attempt to get a mortarboard situated on top of your head with the fewest bobby pins possible, and gracefully walk across a stage to receive your diploma.

The past few weeks have been filled with a number of bittersweet milestones for the GPS Class of 2018. May Day. Their last Chapel Talk and College Decision Day. Celebrating the newest members of Cum Laude. Their senior prom with McCallie. Final exams and labs, papers and projects. A last lunch in the dining hall, complete with a dance party. Their Senior Dinner in Caldwell Commons. Yesterday’s Class Awards ceremony and College Sweatshirt photo. But today they are ready for this next step in their young lives. The last time they, as a class of high school seniors, will be together, because they’ve been accepted to 58 colleges and universities in 23 North American states, the District of Columbia, and Spain. But today they are one—the largest class in the school, the GPS Class of 2018.  

Commencement begins with the seniors proceeding into the school gym with “Pomp and Circumstances” played by the members of GPS Orchestra, led by Mary Baxter, Director. Libby Welborn says the opening prayer and the audience responds with “O Come, Let Us Sing.”

Dr. Autumn A. Graves, Head of School, welcomes those in attendance and praises the 102 members of the senior class for their contributions, to not only their school but also their community. She also acknowledges the faculty and staff, “who give so much to make GPS the transformative community that it is.”

Dr. Graves shares the many accomplishments of the seniors: Eleven will go on to play college sports. Several have their own businesses. One is a published poet. Another earned the title of Best Delegate out of an entire Model UN conference. Six girls received a commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Program and another four were National Merit Finalists. Dozens serve their community in volunteer roles and their world through international mission trips.

“My girls are leaders in this city,” she continues. “One sits on the Habitat for Humanity Selection Committee for new homeowners. Another is on the STEAM Girls Advisory Board for Tech Town. We have members on the Mayor’s Youth Council and the YMCA Youth Trust. And one of my girls has a seat on Khan Academy’s SAT student board. They walk their own path and not the path that someone else thinks they should travel. I think this is best evidenced by one student who has never had any social media accounts.”

Dr. Graves shares that 87 percent of the class was offered merit, talent, or athletic scholarships, totaling more than $12 million. “As a class, they have accepted nearly $6 million of these scholarships,” she says.

As Head of School and self-proclaimed “proud momma” to hundreds of girls, Dr. Graves says it’s a role she quietly assumes when she’s moved to tears during a performance or brought to her feet cheering when a team is victorious. Or when she sees a girl falter and her classmates surround her with love and support when she needs it most.

“It’s a role that I do embrace and that brings me joy,” she says. “It’s what motivates me to continue serving in this capacity. And inspires me to be the best servant leader God allows me to be.”

After Dr. Graves concludes her remarks, GPS Singers, led by Mike Lees, Director, sing “I Carry Your Heart.” Next to speak are Margaret Lim, valedictorian, followed by senior Kate Thel, whose Chapel Talk was voted by her classmates to be presented today.

Lim notes that her class is some of the first high school graduates born in the 21st century, an age with “widespread use of technology and a spirit of progress and advancement,” she says. “Our class fits the spirit of our time well; we are bold, enthusiastic, energetic, and ready to walk through these doors and be groundbreakers.”

Lim’s hope for her classmates is for them to “find purpose in worthy causes, to dare to learn more, and to show compassion in the world we live in,” and she challenges them “to dare greatly.”  

Kate Thel, whose Chapel Talk called out the College Board for being restrictive in how Advanced Placement classes are tested, praises her GPS experience and commends her teachers and classmates for enriching her learning experience. “Too often, we go through the perfunctory motions of the school day, mindless of the sacrifices made to get us where we are and forgetful of how great this place is,” she says. “Every high-schooler says their school is the best. GPS is better. Where else do girls look forward to BC Calculus every day? Your neighbors are what make learning memorable, and they will teach you infinitely more than a textbook can.”

Thel continues to recall that discussions with her friends at lunch added depth to what they learned in the classroom. “Yes, the majority of us here at GPS look similar but, nonetheless, there is plenty we can learn from each other’s perspectives,” she says. “Schools are so valuable because they provide us with the greatest resource: people to learn from, both teachers and peers.”

After the student speeches, Jenise Gordon, Head of Upper School, presents the class while Dr. Graves and Holly Lynch Harwell ’84, Chair of the Board of Trustees, hand out diplomas and personally congratulate each girl. Then Meg Marshall, president of PIC, offers the closing prayer.  

Several years ago, the faculty/seniors honored one another with two special walkways—a tradition that continues today. Prior to the ceremony, the members of the senior class form double lines through which the faculty walk as they enter the gym, receiving high fives and smiles from their students. At the conclusion of commencement, the faculty form double lines through which the newly graduated seniors walk, receiving congratulations from their teachers. Once the graduates reach Frierson Theatre Lobby, their joy cannot be contained and they hug, shriek, and celebrate the fact that they are now GPS Alumnae. Here’s to the Class of 2018! We could not be more proud of you all!

To see a complete list of “Where Oh Where” go our Grand Old Seniors, click here, and to see the list of the colleges and universities to which they were accepted, click here.

Read Margaret Lim’s valedictory address here; read Kate Thel’s Chapel Talk here.

And please visit our school’s SmugMug account for photos of our 2017-18 school year events you can download for free or purchase for a small fee, including today’s Commencement celebration, which will be available soon.
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