Buckley Country Day School Celebrates 80th Commencement

(Back row, left to right): Joelle Thompson of Valley Stream, Alexander Heid of Plandome, Timothy Denihan of Plandome, Robert Wisnewski of New Hyde Park, William Otremba of Douglaston, John Magovern of Garden City, Chloe Tsiames of Massapequa, and Chelsea Rubin of Lido Beach. (Middle, l to r): Margaret Bluhm of Manhasset, Katherine Phillips of Manhasset, Griffith Rogan of Sands Point, Aaron Rosenthal of Hewlett, Tony Wang of Forest Hills, Emerson O'Donnell of Mineola, Lauren Singer of Garden City, and Correy Denihan of Manhasset. (Front, l to r): Vanessa Ronan of Douglaston, Constandina Homayuni of Manhasset, Ryan Schmitz of Rockville Centre, Aliandra Homayuni of Manhasset, Bryce Ingram of Westbury, Lauren Nathan of Searingtown, Joshua Choe of Manhasset, and Christine Mozer of Sands Point.

In June 1927, Buckley Country Day School proudly graduated ten boys and two girls. The class of 1927 was Buckley's first graduating class. Fast-forward eighty years, to June 13, 2007: parents, faculty, peers and friends were as proud of the twenty-four graduates

(the boys still in white pants and blue blazers; the girls still in white dresses with red and blue sashes) whose many accomplishments they gathered to celebrate. While entering two vastly different worlds, the classes of 1927 and 2007 are part of the same Buckley family.

Lia and Dina Homayuni introduced Father Evan Evangelides from the Archangel Mi-chael Greek Orthodox Church who gave the invocation and offered his blessings and prayers to the class of 2007.

President of the Board of Trustees Bill Arnone presented this year's Trustees' Bowl, the school's highest academic award, to Lauren Nathan. The Scholarship Medal for the second highest academic average was awarded to Emerson O'Donnell, while Aaron Rosenthal and Vanessa Ronan, who both achieved the exact same grade point average (to the thousandth place!), earned the Merit Card for the third highest average. Congratulations!

Correy Denihan presented the Teacher of the Year Award to Madame O'Connor, 7th and 8th grade French teacher and advisor. Madame, as she is affectionately called by her students, exudes kind-heartedness, humor, and passion. Correy spoke on behalf of all of her classmates when she concluded that they "are grateful to have had such a wonderful teacher."

Lauren Nathan and John Magovern, student council co-presidents, then presented the gift of the class of 2007 to their alma matter, a gift "to serve as a reminder of our time at Buckley after we have all moved on to our various high schools." This year's gift is a set of red and blue bleachers "so that future supporters of the Buckley athletic teams can have a nice and comfortable place to sit, relax, and enjoy themselves."

This year, the graduates chose to sing Time of Your Life by Green Day. Bryce Ingram introduced the song.

Mr. Tim Cross, admissions assistant and soccer, basketball and baseball coach, was invited by the graduating class to be their faculty speaker. Aaron Rosenthal introduced Mr. Cross as "an encouragement to all of us and always there for a quick conversation."

Buckley was honored to have Allison Singer '02 as this year's alumna speaker. Allison, introduced by her sister Lauren, confessed that she had wanted to be the alumna speaker ever since she attended her first graduation as a Buckley student eight years ago. With humor and simple, heartfelt words, she was able to impart upon her sister's classmates some of the wisdom she "wished she had known five years ago." After reflecting on what one learns from life struggles, friendship, and family ties, Allison reassured the graduates that, "Buckley has made you the strongest fourteen-year olds you could possibly be."

The two student speakers selected by their peers were Joelle Thompson and Tony Wang.

Both, reflecting on the friendships they had forged and the experiences they had shared, captured the bitter-sweet taste of the day: a blend of joy, nostalgia, anticipation, apprehension, and gratitude.

Diplomas were then awarded to the members of the graduating class. Upon hearing their names, the students handed their plaques to the new student council co-presidents and vice-presidents, Daniella Raposo, Matthew Ioannou, Sarah Philips, and Eddie Lee, and walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Simultaneously, eighth grade advisors read excerpts from comments written by the students' former teachers, bringing to light the spirit of the child in every young adult crossing the stage.

Congratulations And Best Wishes To The Buckley Class Of 2007!