CHARLEMONT — While The Academy at Charlemont yields one of the county’s smallest graduating classes each year, the heart shown during commencement is anything but marginal. The 2023 ceremony, held Sunday afternoon, was no exception.

The school celebrated 19 eighth graders and 15 high school seniors as they closed this chapter of their education. Prior to the presentation of diplomas, each student received individual recognition from educators through what Co-Head of School Nora Bates Zale called “community-sourced appreciations.” Some recalled fond memories made at the school, while others touted students for their athletic prowess, stage presence or academic excellence.

“Your best self is not, in fact, a destination at the end of becoming; it is instead a constant, non-linear, infinite process,” Bates Zale said. “Still, we experience moments that feel like the best, whether the best of ourselves or our surroundings. Those moments are still worthy of pausing in celebration, in appreciation.”

These appreciations were further affirmed by awards, as well as heartfelt remarks to the class more broadly.

“I’d like to think that part of helping you move on to high school is saying that I trust you now to internalize everything your parents and teachers have taught you, and to put it to good use,” eighth grade humanities teacher Liz Falco told her students. “Not that you’ll wake up on the first day of high school totally rewired, but that you’ll begin to take seriously the responsibilities that come with greater freedom.”

“The potential to become their best selves is something we endeavor to nurture in our students,” Bates Zale said. “For however many years of being with us, they have been asked again and again to try harder, to get up when they stumble, to co-create the environment and opportunities to hold on to each other and bring one another along as they strive toward this final Aardvark destination.”

The students reciprocated their appreciation through a variety of expressions, from some shedding tears to a full-class musical performance from the seniors. Finally, the graduates were given the stage to speak, with each student delivering a brief speech.

“Their hands did not struggle through the threads but glided through them as if they were conducting an orchestra,” Caden Ari Adair, who won the Spirit of Zephyr and Fine Arts awards at this year’s ceremony, read during a poetic anecdote describing the class’ experience at The Academy at Charlemont. “And each string rang a different note when they plucked it. It was discordant at first, a cacophony of notes working out the flats and the sharps. But here they are now, standing in front of you. And suddenly the threads aren’t a tangled mess or an unruly noise, but a tapestry woven, a melody unified and equal and unique.”

Graduates

Caden Ari Adair, Rhiannon Jo Campbell, Adella Grace Catanzaro, Rachel Raya Friedman, Anders Gibb-Buursma, Michael Augustus Grinley, Luis Alfonso Gutiérrez Villarreal, Chanina Khalil Kosovske, Paige Alexandra Lane, Aisha Yazmin Pruitt Gonzalez, Isadore Schiff, Jonathan Zafian Schmidt, Daniel Tetreault, Maya Ella Williams-Russell and Aroa Zumeta Garcia.

Academic Awards

Grade 6: Ruby Bogdanove; Grade 7: Ezekiel Mirin; Grade 8: Coco Gamsey-Boudier; Grade 9: Nicolas Zendajas Solis; Grade 10: Maceo Raker; Grade 11: John McVey; Grade 12: Rachel Friedman.

Fine Arts Awards

Fine Arts Award for Work in Performance: Caden Ari Adair; Fine Arts Award for Work in Visual Arts: Fallon Paxton.

Athletic Awards

Outstanding Lower School Athletes: Sofia Mason and Casey Bestler; Outstanding Upper School Athletes: Anders Gibb-Buursma and Adella Catanzaro; Coaches’ Award: Maya Williams-Russell.

Other categories

Ellen MacLeish Zale Award for Community Service: Rhiannon Campbell. Named in honor of a longtime faculty member, alumni parent and founder of the Community Service Council, this award recognizes a student who demonstrates exceptional commitment to service in the broader community.

Robert Jaros Citizenship Award: Jonathan Schmidt. This award, named in honor of a former parent and longtime trustee and board chair, celebrates commitment to social justice, selfless service and concern for the well-being of the academy’s community.

Middle School Jane Grant Honor Council Award: Charlie Murray; Upper School Jane Grant Honor Council Award: Paige Lane. Named in honor of a retired faculty member and longtime mentor of students, these awards recognize personal adherence to and effective advocacy for the principles embodied in the Honor Code.

Spirit of Zephyr Award: Caden Ari Adair. This award, named for an alumnus who lost his life not long after graduating, acknowledges individuals who engage in the joy of being part of something bigger, the importance of being ridiculous, and how impactful play and action can be together.

Will Sparks Award: math and science teacher Marco Almeida. Named for a longtime and famously hardworking staff member, this award recognizes adults in the community who give selflessly of their time and talent to advance the school’s mission.

Class of 2027, recognized for their transition from middle to upper school: Casey Bestler, Jackson Cindir, Cosmina Gamsey-Boudier, Katje Gibb-Buursma, Nola Grignaffini, Eli Grunberg, Liz Hoffman, Nico Lemieux, Ursula Lenaerts, Joe Mason, Sofia Mason, Enso McNay, Jack Palmer, Garland Salloom, David Stein, Rachael Strycharz, Luka Toth-Cahn, Callum Watkin and Charlotte Williams.

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