Shorecrest Baccalaureate, Class of 2015

Eighty-four seniors, their families and friends gathered in the Janet Root Theatre for Baccalaureate on Saturday, May 16, 2015. Eight students spoke, reflecting on their Shorecrest experiences. The first speaker was Savannah Pearson, who was thankful for the Class of 2015 being so welcoming when she came to Shorecrest in ninth grade, while at the same time being such a tight-knit group.

“In general, we’re always taking care of each other. I think we’re going to hear a lot of stories about this tonight, some of them ten years old, others from last week. Because it’s easier to reminisce than say goodbye. College Tshirt day was a goodbye for school, graduation is a goodbye for family, and this is sort of a goodbye for us.”

Headmaster Mike Murphy welcomed the group and discussed the history of Baccalaureate, as well as Shorecrest’s interpretation of the ceremony as a time for students to take a breath, reflect and enjoy their memories of Shorecrest.

After a musical presentation from the senior members of the Upper School Vocal Ensemble of the Alma Mater, Shorecrest’s school song, Mr. Dillow, Head of Upper School, and Mr. Schneider, Senior Class Sponsor, joined Mr. Murphy for the traditional presentation of the Longevity Awards to the thirty-six students who have been at Shorecrest since first grade or longer.

Ali Appelbaum, Stephen Sobota and Kathryn Booker were the next group of student speakers. All three felt that many, many, many years of experiences at Shorecrest left them ready for future success. Stephen compared the graduation weekend to dessert after a fine meal. Ali shared lessons she had learned along the way.

Kathryn said, “High school wasn’t as easy as Disney made it seem, but we made it. We made it through Mr. Field tests and chemistry and NHS tutoring. We made it through junior year. We made it through bio practicals and Doc papers and AP exams. We made it to districts and states and even nationals. We made it to mainstage at Thespians. In situation after situation, we made it. And tomorrow we get a piece of paper to prove it.”

Science teacher and Senior Class Sponsor Erich Schneider was chosen by the students as the faculty speaker. His ironic and exaggerated speech presented the graduates - and the rest of us - with the Worst Advice Ever. You can read and view a video of his poor advice here. Here’s a snippet:

“Surround yourself with people just like you. Imagine an entire lifetime full of friends who look the same, act alike, eat the same foods, share the same humor, wear the same clothes, like the same shows, believe in exactly the same values, vote in perfect lockstep, and have the same apathies and interests. These friends won’t challenge you or inspire you to do anything that would make you question your greatness. Your life will be free from the threat of having do things or think about things differently. That is a life of pure, predictable bliss - like the best single scoop of standard vanilla ice cream served in a paper cup you have ever had.”

The crowd then received an upbeat treat from the senior members of the Upper School Vocal Ensemble singing Imagine Dragons’ “I’m on Top of the World.” A short clip may be found on the Shorecrest Instagram account.

The next three students to address the audience were Cole Smith, Tatum Llewellyn and Jake Stevens. Cole, the class 'techie', was excited to have been a part of growth in the computer science department. “From the introduction of the iPad to a class that develops for them. … My hope is that Shorecrest becomes the school in the Bay Area for computer science, and I’m thrilled I was along for that journey.”

Tatum acknowledged that Shorecrest was all she ever knew, having been at the school so long, and thanked every member of her class for making her time there memorable. She and Jake referred to the Class of 2015 as the best grade to graduate from Shorecrest, and as a family.

Jake added, “Unfortunately, this afternoon we are missing a member of our family - Kyle Bastas, who passed away the summer following our freshman year…. I can speak for everyone from the Class of 2015 when I say that we love and miss Kyle very much. Kyle will always be a cherished member of our family. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Bastas and Kim for being here and supporting us through our final years.”

The program ended with Student Council Officer and Broadcast Journalism Editor Karim Oliver offering the parents and grandparents of the graduates little sympathy.

“I no longer want to hear anything about adults having it harder in school than we did because we have technology. Maybe having to search through a book is more time consuming, but that’s not really a struggle. Trying to study for an APUSH test (AP US History) the day the new season of “Orange is the New Black” is released is an impossible task!”

But his talk turned, as everyone else’s did, to the closeness of the Class of 2015. “Most of the time if you saw our class together, you would see us enjoying every step of the way. And that’s been the best part of this entire journey. Through everything we’ve been through, we always took solace in each other, and not every class can say that. You’ve heard today people discussing how we are like family, and that couldn’t be truer. I personally feel like I was a part of one of the best groups a kid could ask for. For those of you who I have cultivated a relationship with that will last our lifetimes, I’ll speak to you soon and I can’t wait to see where life takes us. For those of you who I will run in to every 12 or so years, I will remember you and I’m not ignoring you, I’m just late. Lastly, for those of you who I will never see again beyond this very weekend, thank you for being a part of an amazing journey, and if you ever get famous, I’m telling my kids we were best friends.”

The families of the Class of 2015 departed the Shorecrest campus to enjoy a celebratory dinner at the St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater. There, one last tradition was imparted - the class roast. Niomi London, Sabrina Murphy and Paul Reischmann poked fun at their classmates. Also, Tom Dillow reminded students to enjoy the journey onward and upward. Graduates were presented with gifts and copies of the Class of 2015 slideshow on DVD. (Please Note: These DVDs were made to be played on computers, not standard DVD players.)

Congratulations Class of 2015!

(photos)