News: Loudoun Releases Graduation Information, "Father of the Internet" Vinton Cerf Highlights Grad Speakers

(May 20, 2010) - The speakers have been set for 14 Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) graduation ceremonies in May and June.

Following is a list of those graduations in alphabetical order.

Academy of Science
Date: Thursday, June 17
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: School Board Meeting Room, LCPS Administrative Offices
Number of Graduates: 45
Speaker: Dr. Peter Bruns, vice president for grants and special programs for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Trained as a geneticist, Bruns joined HHMI after a long scientific and teaching career at Cornell University. He has led the development of initiatives aimed at putting scientists and discovery research into classrooms at colleges and universities across America. Since 2004, Bruns has been involved with HHMI's continuing commitment to invest $1 million per year to support science education in LCPS.

Adult Education Graduation Ceremony
Date: Friday, June 4
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Stone Bridge High School Auditorium
Number of Graduates: 185
Speaker: Pastor Brett Fuller of Grace Covenant Church. Fuller is the former co-pastor of the Washington Redskins and served on the National Advisory Council for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He also serves as chaplain for the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Briar Woods High School
Date: Monday, June 21
Time: 2 p.m.
Place: George Mason University Patriot Center
Number of Graduates: 290
Speaker: Wendall T. Fisher, supervisor of the Office of Outreach Programs for Loudoun County Public Schools. Fisher's career includes 20 years as the executive director of the Loudoun County YMCA. He was selected the Citizen of the Year by The Loudoun Times Mirror in 1996, by the Leesburg Daybreak Rotary Club in 1997 and by the NAACP in 1999. Fisher also served on the Loudoun County School Board as its at-large member from 1995 to 1999.

All-Night Graduation Party: “Gradfest” from 9 p.m. June 21 until 5:30 a.m. at Adventure Park USA, New Market, Md.


Broad Run High School
Date: Saturday, June 19
Time: 2 p.m.
Place: George Mason University Patriot Center
Number of Graduates: 385

Speaker: Retiring Broad Run High School Principal Dr. Edgar Markley. Markley is capping an educational career of 44 years, the last 14 as the principal of Broad Run. He was the recipient of The Washington Post's Educational Leadership Award for Loudoun County in 2003.
All-Night Graduation Party: “Blast from the Past: Party Like It's 1969!” from 11 p.m. June 19 to 5 a.m. June 20 at Ashburn Sports Pavilion.

Community/Church Organized Baccalaureate: 2 p.m. June 13 at Ashburn Presbyterian Church


CAMPUS Celebration
Date: Wednesday, May 26
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: School Board Meeting Room, LCPS Administrative Offices
Number of Graduates: 81
Speaker: Dr. Paul Harris, guidance counselor and CAMPUS counselor at Freedom High School. Prior to joining Loudoun County Public Schools in 2007, Harris held several positions including academic advisor, teaching assistant and instructor at the University of Maryland/College Park. He also served as a professional school counselor at Warwick High School in Newport News.

Dominion High School
Date: Saturday, June 19
Time: 9 a.m.
Place: Dominion High School Stadium
Number of Graduates: 285
Speaker: Guidance Counselor Erin Norton. Norton has been the guidance counselor for the members of the Dominion High School Class of 2010 for all four years of their high school career.

All-Night Graduation Party: “Beach Blast” at Dominion High School


Freedom High School
Date: Tuesday, June 22
Time: 2 p.m.
Place: George Mason University Patriot Center
Number of Graduates: 330
Speaker: Dr. Mark Stavish, co-founder of College Vision, a consulting practice that helps students achieve their college goals. He has a doctoratein education and nearly three decades experience in corporate human resources for AOL, Pepsi-Cola and Mobil Oil. Stavish also serves aspresident of Evergreen Partners, a consulting and venture capital firm, and is an adjunct professor at The George Washington University.

All-Night Graduation Party: ESPN Zone, 10:15 p.m. June 22 to 5 a.m. June 23.

Heritage High School
Date: Saturday, June 19
Time: 9 a.m.
Place: Heritage High School Stadium
Number of Graduates: 410
Speaker: Rick Segal, co-founder of Fixmo. Fixmo is a product line that enhances, augments and improves smart phones.

All-Night Graduation Party: “Road Trip” from 10:30 p.m. June 19 to 5 a.m. June 20 at Ida Lee Park.


Loudoun County High School
Date: Monday, June 21
Time: 9 a.m.
Place: Front Lawn of Loudoun County High School
Number of Graduates: 338

Speaker: Vinton G. Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google. Cerf is the co-designer, with Robert Kahn, of the architecture of the Internet. In 1997, Cerf and Kahn received the U.S. National Medal of Technology and in 2005 the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2008, they shared the Japan Prize. Cerf holds a doctorate in computer sciences from UCLA and more than a dozen honorary degrees.

All-Night Graduation Party: “Mardi Gras” from 11 p.m. June 21 and 5 a.m. June 22 at Ida Lee Park.

Loudoun Valley High School
Date: Saturday, June 19
Time: 9 a.m.
Place: Leonard Stadium, Loudoun Valley High School
Number of Graduates: 535
Speaker: Loudoun Valley math teacher Gary McKay. McKay is a Purcellville native and has taught at Loudoun Valley for the past 34 years. During that time he has served as a teacher, department chair and track, football and golf coach. He is a past winner of the Ray A. Croc Teacher of the Year Award.

All-Night Graduation Party: “Let the Adventure Begin...” from 9 p.m. June 19 and 5 a.m. June 20 at Adventure Park USA, New Market, Md.

Community/Church Organized Baccalaureate: 2 p.m. June 13, Harmony Intermediate School auditorium.

C.S. Monroe Technology Center
Date: Tuesday, June 15
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Heritage High School Auditorium
Number of Graduates: 262
Speaker: Vickie Fiala, vice president of operations planning for Time Warner Cable. Fiala executes the strategic and contingency planning for commercial and residential digital phone service. She joined Time Warner Cable in 2004 with more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry.

Park View High School
Date: Tuesday, June 22
Time: 10 a.m.
Place: Park View High School Stadium
Number of Graduates: 324
Speaker: Ana Lopez, leader of the Community Bridges program. Lopez was named the 2009 Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine for her work with young women.

All-Night Graduation Party: “A Night at the Movies” from 11 p.m. June 22 to 5:30 a.m. June 23.

Potomac Falls High School
Date: Friday, June 18
Time: 8 p.m.
Place: Potomac Falls High School Stadium
Number of Graduates: 360
Speaker: Terri Lee Freeman, president of The Community Foundation. The Community Foundation facilitates individual, family and organizational giving in the Metropolitan Washington area. Under her guidance, The Community Foundation has grown from $52 million to more than $200 million in assets.

All-Night Graduation Party: “You are the Stars” from 11 p.m. June 18 to 4 a.m. June 19 at the Claude Moore Recreation Center.


Stone Bridge High School
Date: Saturday, June 19
Time: 10 a.m.
Place: George Mason University Patriot Center
Number of Graduates: 456
Speaker: Wilfred Shawn Kirkaldy. Kirkaldy is a former West Virginia University basketball player who overcame childhood bullying, involvement with street life and the amputation of his left leg to realize his dream of working in the NBA (as a public relations coordinator, rather than as a player).

All-Night Graduation Party: “Bulldogs in Paradise” from 11:30 p.m. June 19 to 5 a.m. June 20 at Stone Bridge High School.