News: An Adventurous Graduation for Stone Bridge

Special to VivaLoudoun via Loudoun County Public Schools

(June 20, 2011) - 20th Judicial Circuit Judge Thomas D. Horne urged the 459 graduates of Stone Bridge High School to put adventure into their life during their graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 16th, at George Mason University’s Patriot Center.

Horne put some adventure into his own life four months ago by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Not that this adventure was without adversity…

“The Velcro straps on my rented snow pants decided they weren’t as committed to the trip as I was. I took this opportunity to laugh at myself and, by laughing at myself, take my mind off the grueling task at the side of the mountain.”


Horne said his pants fell down every 10 feet on his way to the “Top of Africa” until his porter secured them with a giant rubber band. Horne added the mishap was a metaphor for a lot that happens in life.

“So it is in life; learning to laugh at yourself. The hand of a friend when you most need it; a friendly and caring voice when you fear you are going to fall. Someone there to pick you up if you do… An inner peace and joy that comes with personal achievement… These are some of the great rewards you are going to receive on your adventure.”

Horne noted the graduates had already completed a unique adventure.

“Graduation is unlike any of life’s adventures; it is a celebration of the joy of learning for the sake of learning.”

Fear is something the graduates will face as they continue on their adventure, Horne noted. “Fear is a constant reminder of our humanity and, if we let it consume us, it can limit our ability to grow and to reach out to others. We overcome our fears with a spirit of adventure and the courage of our convictions…

“Adventurers are constantly crossing bridges as they fearlessly go forward.”

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III unintentionally added some adventure to his life on the night of Stone Bridge’s graduation.

“As I looked at your commencement cover, I realized just how much I wanted to be with you tonight on June 16th. It suddenly struck me that today is my wife and my 43rd wedding anniversary. I hope there’s a florist open on the way home.”

On a serious note, Hatrick reminded the graduates just how lucky they are to live in a community that values education as much as Loudoun County.

“Some of the things that we take for granted in Loudoun County simply don’t exist in other school systems across America. Even as we go through difficult economic times, you have not seen the taking away of your music program or your art program or your interscholastic activities. You have not seen your class size grow – you have seen it grow some – but you’ve not seen it grow to 45 to 50 students per class, which is what is happening in some other places in our country.

“So I ask you to think about the place that you come from and to remember what that place has given to you.”

Valedictorian Cody Donald was the second member of his family to be named Stone Bridge’s top academic student. His sister, Breanna Donald, was valedictorian in 2008.

Donald said his first day in LCPS – as a sixth-grader at Belmont Ridge Middle School – forever changed his life. That’s the day he walked into American history teacher Bill Kendrat’s room.

“Little did I know that it would open the door into what seemed like another world.”

That world started with some words Kendrat had posted on his door: “Have to, choose to, want to.”

“What does one have to do? Simply stated, one has only to live and die, everything else is an either-or scenario,” said Donald. “Tie your shoes or trip…listen to the speech or fall asleep…

“While the concept was so foreign to me as a sixth-grader, it is now something I have taken to heart…

“Next is the concept of ‘choose to,’ where no one forces your hand, per se, but some other motivation…compels you. While you may do these actions with some type of reluctance, ultimately it is through these actions that true character is revealed…

“Finally, there is the ‘want to,’ the things you do because, well, you really want to. It is divided… between choices and desire, that determines attitude. Wants should not always come before choices, but wants can prove to be a powerful motivating factor…

“As you look back on your high school experiences, why did you make the choices that you did? Do you want to truly succeed? Did you choose to volunteer because you sincerely wanted to help others? Did you practice your instrument for hours because you actually love music?

“It’s not only where you have been that matters, but why you were there. Why you did what you did, why you said what you said. Sometimes the best way to look forward is to look backward and learn from those choices, good or bad….

“Being here alone is an accomplishment, something you chose to do…

“As you make your journey onto the stage to receive your diploma and walk out those doors, take with you a desire to understand yourself better. Define your experiences based on have to, choose to and want to, because in unraveling the roots of your choices, you will gain insight into who you truly are.”

Yasamin Sharifzadeh-Moghaddam was the salutatorian.

Class Vice President Tania Faruqi and Secretary Catherine Klancher noted the accomplishments of the Class of 2011.
• 99 out of the 459 class members had a grade point average (GPA) of 4.0 or higher.
• 97 percent of the class will be going to a two- or four-year institution of higher learning.
• The Class of 2011 earned $4,254,389 in scholarships.

The two class officers thanked Stone Bridge’s faculty. “We will be forever grateful for you preparing us to be bulldogs in this dog-eat-dog world.”

Vanessa Paige was the Class of 2011 class president.

As is the custom at Stone Bridge, the choir performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Graduate Heather Reed performed “As If We Never Said Goodbye” accompanied by Assistant Principal Joseph Gabalski on the piano.

Principal Jim Person noted the Class of 2011 had a record of five National Merit Scholarship semifinalists and that the graduates would attend 115 colleges and universities. Not among the statistics Person noted is that this group of Bulldogs had a great sense of humor.

“As I look out at this class one more time, it’s hard for me not to laugh. It has been a spirited, occasionally exhausting, group…

“They’ve set a standard for achievement at our school that I think, frankly, will be hard to duplicate. Some of this class gets up pretty early. Some of this class stays up pretty late, but they seem to get the job done. They are personable. They work hard.”

Attending the Stone Bridge graduation were School Board members Tom Reed (At-Large), Bob Ohneiser (Broad Run District) and Robert DuPree (Dulles District).