Pendleton's Tenth Commencement Ceremony Held at the Sarasota Opera House
Ninety-two Pendleton students were awarded high school diplomas on Friday, June 4th. The graduation ceremony opened with the traditional international welcome from seniors representing 19 different countries' languages while standing behind the flags of nations around the world.
Seiji Liu was awarded the Carpe Diem for the highest cumulative grade point average. Along with appreciation for his family, teachers, coaches, and staff, Seiji highlighted the uniqueness of Pendleton that "the teachers here at Pendleton embrace the fact that our lives are multi-faceted and this allows us to thrive as successful student-athletes. My experience at Pendleton and IMG has allowed me to develop time management skills, self-sufficiency and prepared me for an easier transition to life in a university environment." Seiji will attend Harvard University in September.
English teacher, Brent Pottieger, performed on stage as a gift to the graduating class by singing "You Raise Me Up," (Bayer Sager & Foster) and Jennifer Eimer, sister of one of the grads, sang "The Prayer" (Lovland & Graham).
The Pendleton Spirit Award, selected by the faculty, was given to Casey Mulholland who had been a Pendleton student since the eighth grade. Casey described many of the additions that have occurred since he started and drew a parallel between Pendleton's growth and his own.
Lori Gubernat was this year's Outstanding Teacher of the Year, voted by the senior class. Introduced by honors senior Sophie Hayashi as "our guiding light," Gubernat, a Biology and Anatomy & Physiology teacher, advised the Class of 2010 to "make a difference in someone else's story" noting that "it is so easy to do: just listen, care, encourage and show kindness."
Kendyl Green represented the graduating class in presenting a gift to the school: Pendleton's own ceremonial flag. Accepting the gift was junior Carlye Belser.
After receiving their diplomas, the members of the Class of 2010 flowed into the audience to present a rose to 2 people who "have meant a lot to them." This Pendleton tradition has always been received with palpably high emotions of appreciation and pride. To view photos of the graduates and the ceremony, link to the following:
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