Blue Ridge graduates its ’08 class

by Susan Gibbs Record Reporter
Published: May 29, 2008

The entire Blue Ridge School community witnessed the 86th graduating class make the transition from students to alumni on the campus green on Saturday, May 24.

The commencement ceremony began at 9:30 a.m. with a procession of faculty in academic robes leading the graduating seniors.

The Rev. Philip Morgan, Blue Ridge School Chaplain, took the stage set before the backdrop of Lake St. George for the benediction. Head of School Dr. David A. Bouton welcomed the graduates and their families and friends. The faculty presented a number of senior awards. Father Jack Podsiadlo, SJ, Director of Special Projects for the Nativity Miguel Network of Schools, gave the commencement address. Father Jack (as he is known to the Blue Ridge Community) used his recent pilgrimage on the Camino Santiago de Compostella as a metaphor for the boys’ journey through Blue Ridge School, college and life.

Father Jack’s relationship with the Blue Ridge School began in 1995 when he came to the Blue Ridge School looking for an institution that would continue the work he started at Nativity Middle Schools. At the Blue Ridge School, Father Jack found a place where his boys could build on the foundation they formed at the Nativity Schools.

The students were honored with a number of academic awards before receiving their diplomas from Head of School David A. Bouton and Academic Dean John Young. Abe McDonald of Lexington, Ky. received the St. George Award, the School’s highest award. Travis Allen of Stanardsville was recognized with the Art Department’s senior award, the Librarian’s award for outstanding senior on the Library Committee, and the prestigious John L. Trimmer Award for outstanding citizenship. Joe Webb of St. George also graduated with the Class of 2007.

The members of the Blue Ridge School Class of 2007 are:

Chad Alan Byers, Senior Class President, Charlottesville; Abraham Uriah, McDonald, Senior Class Vice President, Lexington, Ky.; *In Woo Chung, Senior Class Treasurer, Alexandria; Eric Wolfgang Strasser, Senior Class Secretary, Dulles; *Travis Wayne Allen, Stanardsville

*Joshua Lee Beebe, Olney, Md.

John Bernhardt, Austin, Texas

Allan Penny Bloxsom, Columbia, S.C.

George Nicholas Cate, Vienna

Hsiao-Cang Peetan Chen, Taipei, Taiwan

*William Eroe Cullen,Washington, DC

Luc Nicholas de Verteuil, Houston, Texas

Alexsandre Deriugini, Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia

*Daniel William Desenberg, Bradenton, Fla.

Owen Michael Gaffney, Great Falls

David Robert Gardner, Houston, Texas

Kevin Vijay Goradia, The Woodlands, Texas

*Jun Seok Ha, Pusan, Korea

Miles T. Herbst, Middlebrook

James Philip Wilcox Howle, Darlington, S.C.

Dongjin Jang, Inchon, Korea

David Merlyn Jones Jr., Vienna

Nithicon Pong Kamonprapasawat, Chiang Mai,Thailand

*Sang Won David Kang, Seoul, Korea

Mohammad Farhan Khan, Aramco, Saudi Arabia

Julian James Kuczma, Moreland Hills, Ohio

Ryan Christopher Leabough, Crozet

W. Quinn Magner, Chevy Chase, Md.

Wesley Spencer McDaniel, Glen Allen

Stefan Njiah Njomo, Purcelville

Trent Powhatan Parrish, Gordonsville

Scott Gil Renkin, Midlothian

Philip Michael Rizk, Glen Allen

Andrey Semenov, St. Petersburg, Russia

*Neeraj Timothy Sirinivasan, Smiths, Bermuda

Christopher LaKeith Smith, Richmond

Matthew Bryan Smith, Spartanburg, S.C.

Alexander Michael Stratmann, Covington

Christopher Allen Stratmann, Covington

Wilfred Sean Uytengsu, Makati City, Manila, The Philippines

Joseph Edmund Webb, St. George exter Randolph Whack, Reisterstown, Md.

Addison Wilson, Atlanta, Ga.

*Theodore Mitchell Wilson, Charlottesville

* = National Honor Society Member