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The Pike School held its 71st graduation exercises Wednesday, June 13, for a class of sixty-five Eighth- and Ninth-Graders. In addition to a number of academic and athletic awards presented to graduating students on the evening of Friday, June 8 (see the list of graduates on the following two pages), six additional awards were presented at Wednesday’s ceremonies.
faculty, has achieved notable academic improvement, demonstrated an ability to assume responsibility, and displayed friendliness to faculty and fellow students. He will attend The Governor’s Academy. • Nathan Elkin of Andover was the • José Bedoya of Lawrence received the recipient of the Margaret J. Little A. Daniel Phelan Award for meeting life’s Award, given to the student who best experiences with a positive spirit and good demonstrates integrity, generosity, and humor, thereby becoming an inspiration to thoughtfulness, thus exemplifying the the Pike community. The prize is named for spirit of The Pike School. The award Dan Phelan, a Pike teacher from 1990-1996. commemorates Margaret Little, teacher Bedoya will attend Brewster Academy. and Pike’s second Head of School. Elkin • All four members of the Ninth Grade will attend Phillips Exeter Academy. class—Thomas Kramer of Andover, • Jack Hartigan of Andover received Alexander Letwin of North Andover, the David A. Frothingham Award Max Lindauer of North Andover, and for contributing with distinction to Vinay Rajur of Andover—were awarded the betterment of the school and/or the Nicholas Grieco Prize, which honors community. Established in 1994, this one of Pike’s most loyal families and is award honors Pike’s sixth Head of given to the ninth grade students who, School. Hartigan will attend Brooks in the opinion of the Upper School School. faculty, have achieved notable academic • Claire Harmange of Andover and improvement and personal growth at Sarah Onorato of North Reading were Pike, having been positive influences on given the Head of School Award for fellow students. Kramer will attend Phillips exhibiting unusual qualities of leadership Academy, Letwin and Lindauer will attend in non-academic affairs, while setting a Brooks School, and Rajur will attend school standard for scholarship. Both will Pingree School. attend Phillips Academy in Andover. • Alexander Gacek of Dracut received the Alumni Prize, established to honor Pike This year’s graduation speaker was alumna alumni and awarded to the eighth grader Claire Abisalih of the Pike Class of 2004. who, in the opinion of the Upper School Abisalih, who was graduated this year from Phillips Exeter Academy and will next
year be matriculating at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism, provided the Pike graduates with some insight into what to expect in high school. Abisalih told them, “What Pike has taught you goes far, far beyond simply how to write a great topic sentence and how to use those massive calculators to solve for ‘x’. Pike has taught you what it means to be part of a community; what it means to give back to people in need …; what it means to be independent while at the same time remaining an engaged, vital part of a community; what it means to cooperate in a group with three other kids who could not be more oddly matched; what it means to work hard with others to achieve a common goal—on the field, in the classroom, the dorm, the school paper. Pike has given you a sort of social survival kit.” Preceding Abisalih’s speech, several faculty and staff joined the Grade 7 Chorus in a rendition of The Pike School alma mater, “Non Sibi Solum: Not for Oneself Alone,” written and led by Fine Arts Department Chair Larry Robertson. Following Abisalih’s speech, Robertson also led the Graduation Chorus in a medley of songs. The graduating senior class announced its gift to The Pike School, which will be a bench and garden area in memory of Ruth Wight Caron, a beloved Lower School learning specialist who passed away last fall.
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Spring 2007
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