Diplomas were presented to the 41 members of Westover School’s Class of 2021 during the 112th Graduation ceremonies in the School’s Quad Saturday morning, May 22nd — but not in the usual fashion.

Reflecting a school year that blended the familiar with a series of adjustments to meet pandemic safety precautions, the Commencement itself retained most of its beloved traditions, but it was tweaked by a few modifications.

While 30 seniors were present to receive their diplomas in person, 11 members of the class (who completed their final time at Westover virtually while living in other states or countries) were represented at the ceremony by classmates who accepted diplomas on behalf of their absent fellow graduates while bearing their photos.

To keep within attendance limitations for the on-campus event, Saturday’s graduation was open only to the Class of 2021 and their invited guests, along with a small number of Westover administrators and other school personnel. The event could be viewed by the rest of the extended School community through livestream presentations.

The ever-present impact of the coronavirus — and how the Class of 2021 responded to its challenges and opportunities — was explored by each of the speakers at Graduation.

“You know that saying, ‘Misery loves company,’” asked Senior Speaker Katy Wolff. “It’s been said to me countless times throughout this year. But,” Katy added, “I’d also like to propose another saying, one that doesn’t contradict the truth of the first, but instead completes it. I’d like to propose that joy loves company.”

While acknowledging the disappointments and struggles the Class of 2021 has faced during the pandemic, Katy said she made a discovery along the way. “As we limped through each long day,” she explained, “I started to notice something new. An unrelenting golden thread of joy, stitching together the complicated tapestry of our senior year. The stronger the moments of misery felt, the stronger the moments of joy felt … when I was with my class, either in person or online, I could feel the exponentially expanded small moments of joy that grew from just being together. We are better together.”

Looking ahead to the different paths she and her classmates will now take in college and beyond, Katy concluded, “Class of 2021, we will stick together in spirit, even when we are physically separated, because that’s what we’ve always done. Now go forth with hope and find your joy, even in the times of darkness.”

Always be open to change. Grieve what was lost and anticipate what is to come.

Karen Carter, this year’s Commencement Speaker, is an administrator at the Urban Peace Institute. In her remarks, she drew on her own experiences as a young Alabama teenager who suddenly found herself as a student at the Hotchkiss School in the mid-2000s. Arriving at the school with her family, Karen recalled, “I was nervous. I had so much anticipation, a lot of trepidation, fear, anxiety. It felt like something new and that scared me.”

Later, she added, “as my mother and grandparents drove away, there was a numbness, a loneliness … all these emotions that I wanted to pour out. There was so much uncertainty about what all of this meant. How could I move forward? How would I fare?”

“It was grief,” Karen said. “Grief isn’t just the looking at and longing for what was. Grief is this deep emotional state of recognizing that what used to be is no more and coming to accept to what is, and beginning to look to the future with anticipation.”

Recalling how her own experiences at Hotchkiss changed her, Karen told the Westover graduates, “As you begin to think about what comes next in your life, there may be a sense of numbness, fear, trepidation — maybe some loneliness. You don’t know what’s coming next and you are wondering how you will fare. That’s grief and it’s natural.”

Karen also noted that this year’s graduates also have witnessed the huge impact the pandemic has had on the world, not only in terms of the ongoing loss of life but in the deep uncertainties about what is to come.

Despite those challenging circumstances, Karen said: “If there’s one piece of advice I could give to you: Always be open to change. Grieve what was lost and anticipate what is to come. There will be many more days in your future full of uncertainty, full of the unexpected, full of change … I implore you not to shy away from it but to lean in to it.”

Karen said the knowledge, experience, and relationships the Class of 2021 have found at Westover “will last a lifetime … but this won’t be the last time you grow, the last relationships you make, the last impact you leave, or the last impact on your own life. When you go out into the world, embrace change. The only way to truly live is to embrace it.”

Know that you have all that you need, that you have faced already amazing things and conquered them, and that you have the capacity to go out into the world and make a difference.

In her charge to the Class of 2021, Head of School Julie Faulstich, told the graduates that they are “the class that has not only endured but thrived, the class that decided to embrace optimism and lifted each other up despite all the challenges that you faced.”

“You have the trial and the gift of the pandemic,” Julie added, “and now you can do anything. Anytime there is an obstacle in front of you, you can summon the inner resources that helped you prevail over the past year.”

While learning to live through hardships, Julie said that the class has also learned about “the power of the small act — that small acts have the possibility of adding up to a significant accomplishment. Small daily acts intended for the good of the community nurture the soul.”

The past year, Julie added, “has been successful because it was made up of thousands of small gestures” from throughout all segments of the Westover community.

“Many people are saying this is a lost year, and there is truth in this, but I think we gained as well. The effort, the sacrifice itself, shows the core of integrity in this community. It was so important to you and to so many people … to do the right thing when it was hard and tedious.”

“You did it on faith,” Julie said, “and you did it fueled by love — love for each other and love for the community. And that has shaped who you are, and that, in and of itself, is a lesson of a lifetime.”

That knowledge, Julie concluded, “keeps your integrity intact and fuels your courage. So, go forth, Westover Class of 2021, and nurture that precious and singular integrity that you have hard-earned this year. Be the courageous, everyday leaders that you have been, because you are the hope for our future.”

The following members of the Class of 2021 were awarded diplomas at Graduation: Madeline Jane Abate, Madelin Lyyli Aho, Amanda Jean Altamirano, Noa L. Avery, Phoenix Bernardin, Grace Elizabeth Brown, Natalie Elizabeth Brown, Wava Carolina Chan, Angela Ji Yae Choi, Anna Louisa Cruz, Aileen Domínguez Jiménez. Naomi Denee Filipiak, Farrell Friday Hoffman, Irene Kim, Isabella Sophia Koster, Monica Lau, Yue Li, Yixuan Sherly Lin, Jiani (Lisa) Liu, Lexis Comfort Naa Ameley Lokko, Madeleine Amelia Mallon, Giuliana Rosaria Mancini, Allison Doreen McKenna, Aspen Lea Monroe, Aseah Nevaeh Montambault, Sarah Cooper Oberting, Isabelle Mae Poskas, Sage Anne Pottbecker, Kathleen Protzmann, Anran (Anny) Qiao. McKenna Elise Rook. Rin Sakakibara. Amy Selenica, Stacy J. Shyaka, Emily Si, Nadia Marie Tavares, Maria Ueda, Sabina X. Wilson, Katherine Nicole Wolff, Jieran (Janel) Wu, Rongyu Yang.