From The Ridge - The McCallie Blog

As Hal Daughdrill ‘73, Chairman of the McCallie’s Board of Trustees, officially welcomed the Class of 2017 into “the long blue line” of alumni, he shared with them a brief reflection on what makes the diploma and their experiences on the Ridge so indelible for their lives. He spoke of his visit to a Golden M reunion, where men celebrate their 50th reunion year and one particular conversation he had.

It was at that point that I turned to one of the gentlemen standing next to me and said to him how remarkable it was that these men felt the impact of McCallie and their teachers so deeply and so strongly so many years after the fact. He turned to me and said, “Hal, it’s been this way ever since the day we graduated. It’s been like this for the last 50 years.”

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King Jemison '17 shared the following address with his fellow graduates and their families along with the McCallie faculty at Commencement for the Class of 2017. Jemison will attend Stanford University.

Six years ago, I attended my first McCallie Graduation to honor the senior who drove me to school every morning. I was in awe of how “cool” and smart and most of all, big, he was. I struggled to picture myself ever reaching that pinnacle. As a freshman, I still watched the seniors tower over me, both physically and mentally. Now, as I stand on this stage as a senior, I don’t ever remember going through some dramatic change. Instead, I’ve been shaped by such miniscule changes that I didn’t even realize what was happening. They all added up to the man I am today.

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Xuanlin Li '17 shared the following address with his fellow graduates and their families along with the McCallie faculty at Commencement for the Class of 2017. Li will attend the University of California at Berkeley.

Good Morning! I am very grateful to stand here on behalf of the class of 2017, and I am very grateful to see many faculty members, alumni, families and friends who are here today.

Today is the day of graduation, and it is fitting to once again hear the mission of McCallie: Honor, Truth, and Duty. The word that particularly stands out to me is Truth.

Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian Civil Rights movement, once said, “Nothing is or exists in reality except truth … And where there is truth, there is also knowledge which is true … Where there is no truth, there can be no true knowledge.”

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Years of hard work and study will culminate this weekend for the McCallie School Class of 2017 as this fine group of young men celebrate their graduation at Commencement Weekend. These young men will begin of a new chapter in their lives with a weekend full of events that will allow their friends and family to celebrate this achievement with them.

Commencement Weekend begins Saturday, May 20, with the Baccalaureate service at 5 p.m. in the Chapel. Seniors Mac Patton, Will Driscoll, Barak Goren, Henry Rice, Josh Azan and Walt Buzzini will speak during this service, and Assistant Headmaster Kenny Sholl will reflect on the impact of the Class of 2017 on the McCallie community. The McCallie Men’s Chorus, under the direction of James Harr ’92, will also perform at the Baccalaureate service.

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Duncan Moore '16 is the first senior in 13 years to be named Valedictorian of his class and also receive the Grayson Medal, the highest award the school offers, honoring the student who most singularly represents the ideals and qualities sought in a McCallie Man. Mr. Moore will attend Yale University in the fall. The transcript of his address at Commencement is below.

This year, about a week before school started, all the Pressly RAs came to campus to prepare for the incoming class of freshman. Half of each day was spent in constructive activities, learning how to approach messy rooms, smelly laundry, and unruly 15-year-olds.

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