N EWS
84th Closing Exercises
Eighth graders posed for a class photo on the steps of the Winslow Building.
O
n June 9, Head of School Clair Ward presided as 51 eighth grade students were graduated during Shore’s 84th Closing Exercises, held outdoors for the first time in recent memory. Also for the first time, ninth graders were graduated during their own celebration, held two days earlier. The Closing Exercises had not been held in person for two years— 2020’s graduation ceremony was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In her remarks, Ward thanked the audience for their support as the school navigated an unprecedented time. “Families, we offer our deepest gratitude for all you have done to encourage these amazing kids through this challenging, yet joyous year. Students, on behalf of your teachers, I want to thank you for the privilege of being your guides and your coaches,
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SHORE BU LLET IN FA LL 2021
especially this year. Thank you for letting us walk beside you throughout your Shore journey. Know that this will always be your home, and that you will always be a class that finished the year in complete and utter fulfillment of our mission.” Before the Closing Exercises began under a sprawling tent assembled on the athletic fields, graduates gathered in the Dining Hall, where they received white roses they’d carry or wear during the ceremony. Parents looked on, cameras and phones in hand to capture the scene, as the graduates posed for class photos on the steps of the historic Winslow Building and then processed as a group for the start of the Closing Exercises. At the podium, Head of School Clair Ward welcomed the graduates and guests by referring to Shore’s Community Code. “Graduates, we are committed to you taking Shore’s
Community Code with you as your most significant lesson. If you are kind, true, respectful, open, and dependable, you will in fact be not only your best, but also the best of Shore. As we move through our ceremony of celebration today, be
