Class of 2015 graduates at Knott Arena: Photo of the Day 6/3/15
Seniors throw their caps as they are pronounced graduates.
June 3, 2015
On June 2, friends and family gathered at Mount St. Mary’s University to witness the graduation of the Class of 2015. The ceremony was distinguished by the annual awarding of The Golden Lance awards.
The ceremony began with Alexandra Hammersla, President of the Class of 2015, giving a welcome speech. The NJROTC Color Guard then presented the colors. The concert choir performed the Alma Mater and “The National Anthem.”
Speakers included the Vice President of the Board of Education, Ms. Liz Barrett, the Superintendent of FCPS, Dr. Theresa R. Alban, and Principal Mr. David Kehne.
Kehne’s message to the Class of 2015 started with, “Tonight… Is the most joyful beginning to your future.” Kehne went on to congratulate the graduates and say, “I believe you will be true to the courage of your convictions.”
Kehne congratulated the class on receiving a combined total of $7,595,290 in scholarship money.
After Kehne’s remarks, three seniors, Allison de Blois, Morgan Buchanan and Amy Safsten, sang I’ll Always Remember You. The song was followed by Student Speaker, Robert Milburn who gave his remarks in the form of a poem.
One highlight of Milburn’s speech was when he said, “Today is ours to follow. Tomorrow is ours to lead.”
The presentation of The Golden Lance awards, a tradition unique to Linganore, was the highlight of the ceremony. The Golden Lance is an award given to one student and one teacher, nominated by the senior class members. The recipients are those who are said to represent the six pillars of Character Counts. The student recipient receives a $1,000 scholarship that he/she may use towards college, post graduation training or donation to a charity.
This year’s recipients were Bailey Tregoning and Mr. Mark Lastova. Tregoning was the Class of 2015 secretary and has been involved in the Project Lead the Way, service organizations, and track and field. Mr. Kehne characterized her as a “most humble young woman.”
Lastova says he was shocked to be chosen. “I thought it was really nice that I was chosen. I feel honored.” In his statement about Lastova, Kehne highlighted the teacher’s expertise in Project Lead the Way and Lastova’s influence on the many future engineers that LHS has produced. For example, Tregoning will be pursuing engineering at M.I.T. in the fall.
The last event of the night was the anticipated diploma ceremony. As Mr. Jeremy Brown read the names of the graduates, students walked across the stage and were handed their diploma by Kehne.
After all diplomas were handed out, Brown announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my extreme pleasure to present to you the Linganore High School graduates of 2015.”
The ceremony closed with the seniors throwing their caps while the graduation band played the recessional music.
Families and students then had a period of pictures and congratulations together before the seniors went back into the building for Safe and Sane, the all-night event sponsored by the parents of the Class of 2015.
Click here to read the article Frederick News Post wrote about the Safe and Sane event.
