For only the second time in the school’s history, over 60 students received diplomas during the 151st commencement ceremony held June 1 at Storm King School. The graduating class was made up of 23 young women and 38 young men who hail from 17 countries and four states.
Throughout their tenure at Storm King School, the graduating seniors achieved more than just academic success.
Over 90 percent participated in at least one varsity sport and 70 percent played on a conference championship team.
Thirty-four seniors were involved in 56 dance, theater, music, or film performances over the past four years and close to 100 percent showed their creativity in at least one of the spring visual arts shows.
The class of 2019 gave over 6,500 community service hours to local organizations and raised a combined $11,000 for Black Rock Forest, The Crazy Horse Memorial, and the American Cancer Society.
As the seniors prepared to leave, headmaster Jonathan Lamb reminded them to continue living the virtues of “truth, respect, and responsibility’.”
Former senator and Storm King School graduate Robert Toricelli was invited to be this year’s guest speaker. It was the second time he gave the commencement address.
As a student, Toricelli was told he would not get a good job if he didn’t study hard and completely commit himself and work every waking moment.
“Don’t worry,” he told the graduates to relieve some of the stress they may have felt starting the next chapter in their lives. “I did not work hard or commit myself, but I got a good job.”
He informed the students life can be full of challenges and sometimes there can be a price to pay for doing the right thing, but they should still be proud of what they do. Toricelli shared a story of his days at Storm King, leading a protest following the fatal shooting of four Kent State students in 1970. While he was suspended for two weeks, his mother was proud of him and the lesson he learned that day.
“In so many ways, that day became a metaphor for my life,” Toricelli said. “We draw from simple experiences the lessons that will guide you throughout your life.”
In his closing statement, Toricelli told the seniors the lessons they learned over the past four years formed the building blocks of their education and provided them with the keys to the kingdom and the future.
Awards
The Storm King Scholar Award: Kolby Braxton, Maya Buranbayev, Max Chen, and Caitlin Jones
The Riley Cup: Anne Fulton and Paul Cohen-Addad
The Spy Rock Cup: Zoe Steen
The Headmaster’s Cup: Ricardo Semenza
The Storm King Cup: Tiana Vazquez
