News: Dominion High School Class of 2011: Class of Value

Special to VivaLoudoun via Loudoun County Public Schools

(June 23, 2011) - The Dominion High School Class of 2011 celebrated its commencement on Saturday, June 18th, in the school’s gymnasium after lingering storms forced the morning graduation indoors.

“Today we celebrate the achievements of 284 very special Titans. Over the past four years, these young women and men have grown to exemplify the fulfillment of our mission to promote success for each and every Titan,” Dominion High School Principal Dr. John Brewer said in welcoming members of the Titan community.


Brewer cited the firsts garnered by the Class of 2011, including Dominion High School’s “Top 200 ranking in the Washington Post’s list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools.”

“As you go through your lives, try not only to be a person of success…but a person of value. You have demonstrated that characteristic over your last four years. Class of 2011, I challenge you to be people of value…and always be truly Titan.”

“This is a special day for me,” said Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent (LCPS) Superintendent Dr. Edgar B. Hatrick III as he took the podium. “As president of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) I was given a scholarship that I am able to award to a student here in Loudoun County. I asked our LCPs guidance staff to find someone in the entire graduating class of 4,000 students who best exemplified the qualities of service and leadership and the ability to overcome adversity…and guess what…that person was found right here at Dominion High School. Alfred Kwame Wormi was named the recipient of the AASA scholarship.

“As I read your personal essay and the recommendation made for you by faculty members here at Dominion, it really did bring a tear to my eye...because I thought about the adversity you have overcome in your life already. More important I thought about the level of service that you have already provided to the community in which you live.

“That is what I want to talk with you about today. I want you to remember these two words: Place and connection.

“Place: When you remember place…remember not only Titan territory, but remember Loudoun County because this is a place that believes in its young people. And because it believes in its young people, it believes that investment in you and more importantly in your education is a worthwhile thing to do.

“Connection: At the end of the day, connection is what it is all about. I don’t mean this connection, (Hatrick said holding up his blackberry)…deciding whether you have two bars or three…this is a tool, it is not a connection. What is a connection is the personal interaction you have with your family and friends who are gathered here today who support you, who push you, who pick you up when you fall down…don’t ever lose sight of the importance of those human connections.

“Here is my challenge to you: You had the privilege to grow up in an affluent community that supports its public school students. You have had opportunities that keep you from failing. My charge to you is once you go out from this place that you won’t forget the opportunities that you have had…won’t forget the people who have given them to you…and wherever you end up…pledge to create that for that community…for the young people wherever you live by providing the kinds of opportunities that you have had here at Dominion High School in Titan Territory in Loudoun County.

“If you give back what you have received, the world will be better for your having been a part of it.”
Ivana Headley began her senior address by posing a series of questions to the audience.

“How many of you have read or heard of the book ‘1984’ by Charles Orwell? Number two, how many of you have seen or heard of the movie ‘The Matrix’ and number three how many of you are familiar with the movie called ‘Inception?’

“These three stories have something in common,” Headley said. “They take place in a world that is contrary to the opinions and beliefs of their main characters.

“In these movies the characters make choices that go against those around them. They make these choices in order to secure their own realities. At one time we might have felt like the characters in these stories…perhaps like pawns in a never-ending game by our teachers.

“Perhaps right now as we sit in our seats, some of us might feel as if being here is either too good or too scary to be true. That all of this…this whole event…this whole week…maybe this whole year is a dream…and at any minute we will wake up from our pre-school naptime and go home and watch ‘Sesame Street.’

“So how do we know that these four years have been worth it? How can we be sure that for the first time we are about to enter a world formed completely from our own choices? …Where we are the ones who play the powerful pawns that make choices for our universities, a career or families.

“Homogeneity (sameness) is the enemy of the individual…there is no perfect one-size-fits-all lifestyle or education. The beauty of a full, complex education in life comes with the diversified experiences of individual thinking. The human mind is elevated when it responds not to the voice of many…but to the voice of one…its own voice.

“I dedicate this poem by William Ernest Henley to every single member of the Class of 2011,” Headley said in closing:

“Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

“In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

“Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

“It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
I am the master of my Fate…I am the Captain of my soul.”

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Hoerauf was the valedictorian for the Class of 2011. Hoerauf’s earned GPA is 4.69. In the fall she will attend Duke University.

“Some of you will passionately educate America’s youth, others will bring aid and hope to the surrounding world, some of you will win Pulitzer Prizes for writing or Tony Awards for work on Broadway, while others of you will tackle those elusive firsts and still others will become CEO’s of multi-national corporations, however because each of us has a unique future…most of you will do something entirely different, but equally remarkable,” said Hoerauf.

“Remember how great the efforts of individuals can be when they are combined. Take a moment to think of all of the individuals who have come together to ensure your success…and thank them.”

The salutatorian was Vivek “Sean” Gupta. Gupta earned a 4.68 and plans to attend Dartmouth College in the fall.

Graduates Alex Gandarillas, Andrew Heindel and Gabriela Sorto introduced Karrie Rinder, a Dominion English teacher selected by the senior class to present the keynote address.

“To the Class of 2011, you have literally and figuratively come together into a solid group of mature adults,” said Rinder. “I would like to touch on a few key moments…a few snapshots that illustrate who you are as a class. And what sets you apart from other classes that I have taught. I am going to focus on three precious memories that I have of you….moments that define who you are as a class: Tenacity, sincerity, bravery.

“Tenacity: The Class of 2011 displayed from the very beginning fierce tenacity. This is the class that defined itself by its spirit. This is the class whose spirit is so indomitable that you have become models for other classes to emulate. This is the class who was told, ‘You can’t do honors’…and you signed up for AP and succeeded.

“Each year I witnessed changes as well as goals reached and set from you…I am so proud and privileged to have taught so many of you.

“Success, according to Winston Churchill, ‘consists of going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.’ That is you. You are the class whose tenacity is so commendable that it is enviable.

“Sincerity: The Class of 2011 demonstrates a quality of sincerity. I was astounded by the support you gave one another. It is the care for each other that brought you together as the united group that you are today. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said ‘Not everyone can be famous…but everyone can be great. Greatness is determined by service.’

“Seniors, you enrich each minute by giving heartfelt service to others. The Class of 2011 gives back. You all have become great because of your heart full of service. To be happy you have to give something back. You are so aware of who you are and at only 18 years of age…you inspire the rest of us.

“Bravery: My last and final memory of you is of bravery. It is a measure of your character. It is what you do, even if never found out. Class of 2011, during your junior and senior years, you cemented your reputation. Although you entered Dominion as individuals, you rose out of the chaos of your freshman year and you fought through as the Class of 2011.

“While you entered Dominion High School as separate individuals….No longer were the science guys separated from the athletes…you closed the gap between the popular and the unpopular. All of a sudden…you became a class.

“To be honest to yourself is probably the most important thing to be. Ultimately through those honest decisions, your true character grows. Class of 2011, may you continue on this path of sincerity.

“If you really want to succeed, follow your passion, honor your calling and trust in your heart. Bilaterally, while it is important to learn Chaucer…it is more important to learn…how to learn….it is important that you are constantly learning. It is a fundamental right …because education affords you opportunities and allows you to progress.

“Class of 2011, you have charmed me, you have inspired me, and you move forward and embrace the future…you will be ambassadors for our school. Congratulations, graduates.”

Attending the Dominion High School graduation were School Board Chairman John B. Stevens, Chairman (Potomac District) and Dr. Joseph M. Guzman (Sugarland Run District).