Portsmouth Abbey grads told: Find compassion, mercy, altruism, love

87 receive diplomas, including 11 from Portsmouth

Posted 6/1/21

PORTSMOUTH — Kerry Alys Robinson told Portsmouth Abbey School’s Class of 2021 to extend their gratitude toward parents and the school community beyond the campus walls, reminding them …

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Portsmouth Abbey grads told: Find compassion, mercy, altruism, love

87 receive diplomas, including 11 from Portsmouth

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Kerry Alys Robinson told Portsmouth Abbey School’s Class of 2021 to extend their gratitude toward parents and the school community beyond the campus walls, reminding them that “life does not have to be perfect for us to find reasons to be grateful.”

“In the midst of tremendous human suffering there can be found compassion, mercy, altruism and love. Be aware of such grace and human kindness. It is everywhere, even and especially when there is concomitant human anguish and loss,” said Ms. Robinson, founding executive director and partner for global and national initiatives at Leadership Roundtable, and the guest commencement speaker during the Abbey’s graduation ceremonies Sunday. 

Eighty-seven graduates received diplomas, including 11 from Portsmouth. 

Ms. Robinson also spoke of vision, leadership, and perseverance in telling the story of her great-grandfather John Raskob, who announced in the late 1920 that he would finance and build the tallest building in the world, the Empire State Building. Shortly after his announcement, The Great Depression took hold. Nonetheless, he led the project through those dark times, hiring thousands in the process. 

“It took 40 years before the building reached full occupancy. Most people scoffed at the folly of his imagination and conviction. But John Raskob was a remarkable leader of profound vision. He knew that he did not need to live to see the results of his vision and hard work for it to have value for others,” she said.

In conclusion, Ms. Robinson conveyed her hopes for the graduates’ future: “Six hopes. May they be six blessings: Gratitude. Leadership. Legacy. Contemplation. Joy. Abundance. And may in the decades to come, you, too, be able to look back and marvel at how much your experience at Portsmouth Abbey School set you on a path of fulfillment and meaning,” she said.

There were two graduate speakers, who were elected by a vote of their classmates: Leah C. Eid of Tiverton, and Pablo Enrique Herrera Camargo of McAllen, Texas.

Leah spoke of her appreciation of having experienced the beauty of the Abbey campus, the friendships she has made, and the memories she will take with her.

“Taking something for granted usually has a negative connotation, however today I am going to try my best to persuade you to see this idea in a more positive light,” she said. “Taking something for granted, or a place for granted, or memories for granted, means you’ve been blessed enough to get used to something good. 

“You’ve been blessed enough to get used to good friends, a beautiful campus, and random conversations in line at the dining hall. Not everyone at every school can say the same, but we as a community can. You make the fondest memories from what you take for granted. For better or for worse, with or without a global pandemic, at some point in time, high school had felt endless, so as the end approaches us, we are left with bittersweet memories, gain, and loss. With the experiences, knowledge, and grace I’ve picked up from this place, I plan to continue taking Portsmouth Abbey for granted, and I urge you to do the same.”

Pablo cited the challenges of the pandemic and the strength that comes from enduring hardship.

“Instead of friends, teams, common rooms, and classmates, we had Zoom,” he said. “We had to facing a pandemic and adapt. But even these difficulties and the other consequences of the pandemic will form us for the rest of our lives. Maybe more than anything we will remember all the mistakes and disappointments we had to go through during high school. Like the awkward things we said at our very first Green Animals picnic and immediately wished we could take back, and those freshman year outfits — really, every time we set a goal for ourselves and then found that we had come up short or failed. 

“All these setbacks felt like the end of the world at the time, but we eventually grew from them and came out as better people. By making mistakes and learning from them we eventually stop pretending to be somebody we’re not. Even our disappointments can serve as the fuel to make us original. So, as we move on and continue to make memories and mistakes, we know they’ll help us write the story of our lives, a story only we can write, a success story that will be filled with the people you love.”

Headmaster addresses graduates

Sunday’s exercises began with a benediction by the school chancellor and prior administrator of Portsmouth Abbey’s Monastery of St. Gregory the Great, the Very Reverend Michael G. Brunner O.S.B.  

Headmaster Dan McDonough followed with a final message to the Class of 2021, concluding with, “Now, as you walk away, I have two things to say to you. First, no one knows better than you, after the last year and a half, just how quickly things can change, so live in the present. Don’t let yourselves be paralyzed by the past. Don’t let yourselves be fearful of the future. 

“Either of those can destroy the present for you — but only if you allow it. And second, even when living in the present you can have problems that seem overwhelming. Never forget that God welcomes hearing from you in your own words every day. You can be sure, regardless of what you say, and the emotions you feel saying it, that he will actually listen to you.”

Prize Day

Preceding graduation day, the school celebrated Prize Day, with a number of local residents recognized for outstanding achievement.

Meghan M. Farnham of Portsmouth was a recipient of two top awards: the Headmaster’s Award, given to members of the Sixth Form (senior class) who, in the Headmaster's opinion, have been a force for good in the school through their good will, personal example, and effort.

She also received the Scholar-Athlete Award for those who, during the course of the school year, earned three varsity letters while demonstrating the highest academic achievement.

Thomas Emmet Smith and Lily Grace Sones, both of Portsmouth, were inducted into the Cum Laude Society.

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