Georgetown Preparatory School celebrated the Class of 2019 at Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement on Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25.
On the evening of May 24, Georgetown Prep celebrated the 2019 Baccalaureate Mass in the Hanley Center Arena. Rev. James R. Van Dyke, S.J., president of Georgetown Prep, was the celebrant. Follow the link to read Fr. Van Dyke's Baccalaureate Mass homily.
On Saturday morning, family members, faculty, friends, and members of the Georgetown Prep community gathered in the Yard outside of the George Center for Academic Excellence to celebrate the achievements of the graduating class. Prep's Headmaster, Mr. John Glennon Jr., served as the Master of Ceremonies at the Commencement Exercises.
Clay Lanham '19, who will attend the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, received the Hillenbrand Medal, which is awarded to the President-of-the-Yard. Fr. Van Dyke also presented Christopher Semancik '19, who will attend Tufts University, with the Jeffrey L. Jones award in honor of Prep's former Headmaster, Jeff Jones.
Ryan Frant '19, who will attend Brown University, won the Hamilton Medal, Georgetown Prep's oldest graduation award. Follow the link to view a full recap of the Commencement Awards and award descriptions.
Travis Rinker '19, who will attend St. Mary's College of Maryland, delivered the Commencement address.
Speaking to his classmates, Travis shared what Georgetown Prep and Jesuit education has meant to him. The following is an excerpt:
A Jesuit education provides students with so much more than vocabulary words, the Pythagorean theorem, or that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. It imbues students with a drive for the Magis...the more. It inspires each of us to go out and be a better person than we ever thought possible. My education and experiences give me the courage to use my talents and do something great, which we hope will take the message of Georgetown Prep, and the message of God, to all whose lives we will touch.
At Prep, we don't just talk the talk about our Jesuit motto, but we want to live as men for and with others: we serve our communities, we are Men of Faith: everything we do is deeply rooted in devotion to God. We strive for the Magis: we expect to do more than we had ever thought was possible. We practice cura personalis: this community cared about every part of me. Teachers cared so deeply for my intellectual growth, coaches prepared me physically to compete at my very best, and my classmates always had my back and supported me, no matter the situation.
Now at the end of our four years of Prep it is our responsibility to go out and drive positive change into the world.