Embracing thE East 21st Century Institute focuses on the Eastern ...

Another Step
in Their Journey
most of you probably remember your own
graduations. It’s a time when wisdom is shared, tears shed,
and hugs and handshakes exchanged. The Cushing graduation
ceremony of 2012 was no different.
The festivities began on Friday afternoon, May 25, as the
community gathered to recognize award winners and to pass
the Cushing staff from the outgoing student body president,
Phil Calvanico, to the next, Jun Bum (Andy) Kim ’13. “I know
he will lead Cushing Academy to be an even tighter-knit
community, ensuring it remains a place I will be proud to
have graduated from,” said Calvanico.
Also on Friday, Prudence McDougald ’13 announced that
Paul Dowling was this year’s recipient of Cushing’s Teacher
of the Year Award. She shed tears as she described the impact
Mr. Dowling has had on her life and the entire community.
Dowling echoed those tears as he thanked the student body
for the honor, won in a year in which his dear wife, Lee, herself
a beloved member of the Cushing community, passed away.
On Saturday morning, the class of 2012 gathered in front
of the Joseph R. Curry Academic Center. Under the warm sun
of the early Ashburnham summer, they walked to the library
terrace where they formally said goodbye to each other and
announced that the class gift would be a teak bench to be
added to the soon-to-be-constructed contemplation garden.
“Treasure your memories, as I do,” said Jiayi Cao, president
of the International Student Organization. Senior Elsie
<strong>East</strong>man gave a moving speech in which she said, “This is
the best family anyone could have asked for.”
Soon after the senior ceremony, the
class lined up next to the main building
while the faculty lined up nearby, the
air redolent with flowers in bloom. They
processed to the familiar white tent to join
alumni, parents, and friends to celebrate
their successes and the end of their time as
Cushing students.
Growth was a common theme throughout the weekend—both
the growth of the seniors since they first came to
Cushing, and the knowledge that their growth as people is
just beginning. Their futures are full of possibility.
This graduation, like most, was bittersweet. Faculty,
staff, and administrators are sad to see them go, but proud of
their accomplishments and sharing their excitement as they
look forward to the next phase of their lives.
Graduation speaker Jay Massirman [read more about Jay
on page 30] urged the graduates to be more than average and
to learn to live and thrive in adversity, discomfort, and in
the face of chaos. “The best way to predict the future is to
create it,” he said. “Do not expect things to come to you. Get
up early each day, get in front of it and make it happen for
yourself—no one else will.”
As they prepared to leave Ashburnham for the next step
in their journey, the seniors sang the alma mater and the
words written by Cora Coolidge, member of the Cushing class
of 1887, “Hurrah for the white and purple and the dear old
Cushing days.”
2012 Teacher
of the Year
Congratulations to
Paul Dowling on being
voted the 2012 Teacher
of the Year! Mr. Dowling
has been teaching
math at Cushing Academy
for more than 30
years, leaving his mark
on hundreds, if not
thousands, of Cushing
students. Thank you,
Mr. Dowling, for all
you have done on behalf
of the Academy.
26
CusHING ToDAY