By Clonlara School
Clonlara School’s Class of 2019 included 115 students, representing 20 U.S. states and 17 countries. They earned scholarships and awards totaling more than $400,000 to help pursue their passions and goals next year in the colleges and careers of their choice.
In keeping with Clonlara’s philosophy of empowering students to participate purposefully and eagerly in their education, the members of the Class of 2019 took much of the responsibility for designing and following their own paths, and for meeting their educational goals. Because of this, we know that they will maintain their innate curiosity and continue to be self-confident learners in their future endeavors.
On Saturday, June 8, we celebrated the many accomplishments of these inspiring individuals in a commencement ceremony that brought the school’s 51st year to a close. While not every graduate could attend, those who did heard an empowering speech by Dori Matkowski, the artistic director and CEO of Dance Dynamics, who has had many talented dancers graduate from Clonlara before starting their professional careers. She praised the graduates for having had the courage to take charge of their learning at Clonlara and encouraged them to go out and let their light shine.
As is our tradition, each graduate also had the opportunity to share a performance, speech, or story that reflected the uniqueness of their educational journey. The following are scenes from the memorable day.
Whether or not you were able to attend the commencement ceremony, we welcome your graduation stories and want to hear about your celebration. Please share a comment below.
