from Fontbonne Academy

Fontbonne Academy graduated 100 seniors this evening under their traditional white tent on the Fontbonne lawn. The breeze was blowing while the young women in their white caps and gowns took the stage and received their diplomas from Head of School, Mary Ellen Barnes.

The graduation ceremony began with prayer and song from the Select Chorus. After a greeting from Class President, Julie Sullivan, of Weymouth, two Honor Speakers addressed their class. The Honor Speakers are chosen not only for their outstanding academic careers while at Fontbonne, but for their character, spirituality, and contributions to the Fontbonne Community.

Honor Speaker, Christina Ferrera, of Milton, encouraged her fellow classmates to follow the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in this world.” She added, “Whether you know it now, or will not recognize it until later, Fontbonne has prepared us for the ‘real world.’ The Fontbonne community has given us opportunities to be true to ourselves, learn to be leaders, scholars, strong women, and have truly prepared us for the future. The faculty, staff, and students have done this through living out the four R’s: respect, responsibility, reconciliation and reverence. These four R’s will lead us and help us in life. Carry the values you have learned here with you forever. We will stand out because we’ve embraced them. Living out the four R’s daily will help us in making the necessary transformations in society to achieve the world that we want. Use what Fontbonne gave you. Although Social Justice was probably the hardest project that we will ever have to do in our educational careers, it gave us a long-lasting insight that will cause us to look at everything in a different light. Question authority; do not let anyone define what reality is for you. All the girls in our class have such vibrant, brilliant, and contagious personalities, and we’re smart. These gifts enable us to create change in the world.”

Classmate and Honor Speaker, Mary McGunnigal, of Norwell, compared the graduates to the Darling children in Peter Pan, at window’s edge, ready to fly out into the world. “The only thing the pixie dust does is get your feet off the ground. It is only with trust and with faith that one can truly fly. Fontbonne has given us the pixie dust, not for Neverland, but for our future. Our feet are off the ground. It is time to believe in ourselves so we can soar.” She remarked, “There will be days when we do not remember that we are courageous, strong women. There will be moments when we hold back from our full potential. In these times, we must remember what we have learned and experienced at Fontbonne, so we can act as the strong women we have become.”

Following in the tradition that Fontbonne established in 2008, a member of the 50th Reunion Class, Kathleen Waldron Gershman, from the Class of 1961, addressed the class. Ms. Gershman was a University of Massachusetts graduate, a Peace Corp volunteer, and holds a Doctorate in Education from Harvard University. A tenured professor at the University of North Dakota, she is also a prolific writer and published author. She engaged the Class of 2011 with a list of her “five most important things” and had the audience laughing and applauding.

While enjoying a full and successful career over the last 50 years, Ms. Gerhman never forgot her roots at Fontbonne Academy. She received a full tuition scholarship to Fontbonne from Sacred Heart Parish in Roslindale in 1957 and has said that she would not have been able to afford Fontbonne without it. To mark the occasion of her 50th Class Reunion, she has made a significant gift to the school, agreeing to fund up to two half-tuition scholarships to Sacred Heart students in the coming years beginning with the incoming Class of 2015. She recognizes the gift that she was given 50 years ago and very much wants to give back to Fontbonne by providing future students with the same opportunities that she enjoyed as a student here. Her generosity and commitment to Fontbonne Academy will benefit countless young women for years to come.

Also at the graduation ceremony, Fontbonne awarded another golden grad, Marta Fasano Googins ’61, of Braintree, with its prestigious “Women of Courage Award” for being an active, loyal and generous alumna since the day she graduated 50 years ago. Ms. Fasano Googins was also commended at the All-Alumnae Reunion on May 14, but received the award at graduation when her classmates, Golden Grad VIPs at the graduation, were present.

After the ceremony, seniors gathered in the Fontbonne Academy circle and tossed their caps into the air, signifying the end to their high school careers. Fontbonne Academy seniors will attend colleges near and far next year, including Tufts University, Smith College, Providence College, Saint Michael’s College, Emerson College, Bates College, and Berklee College of Music. Ninety percent of the Class of 2011 was awarded close to $12 million in scholarships and grants, or an average of $133,000 per student.