What a year! From smoke days to snow days, to masked and then maskless days, with a little learning sprinkled in between, it has definitely been a year to remember. Thank you to our teachers and staff for working and doing their best during these times; to our students for making what could have been several years of loss and frustration instead be a career of near normality – your joy, your presence, and sometimes your antics each day made it all worthwhile; to our Board of Trustees for their leadership and support; and to you as parents, grandparents and friends – for your support, your patience, and most of all, your trust.
Each year, we also take time at Commencement to honor those students whose accomplishments merit our special reward and recognition. The following are the winners of Lake Tahoe School’s 2022 Commencement awards:
Eric and Jane Swain Award – Grace White
Presented each year to the graduating eighth-grader who best exemplifies strong character, high ideals, and positive contributions to the Lake Tahoe School community.
Scholar-Athlete Award – Katie Littlejohn
Recognizes exceptional contributions over the course of the school year by a male or female student-athlete in the Middle School. This student-athlete is someone who maintained the highest standard of academic excellence and demonstrated athletic achievement, all while earning the highest of respect and regard from his/her fellow students, coaches, and community for leadership and sportsmanship.
Head of School Award – Blake Rive
Awards are designed to recognize past accomplishments and reward recipients for their hard work and perseverance. Awards can also be aspirational – meant to encourage growth, inspire a strong work ethic, and recognize potential that is perhaps not so obvious at first glance or that may, in fact, otherwise be obscured by other circumstances.
Unsung Hero Award – Diane Morrison
The Unsung Hero Award recognizes individuals who have generously volunteered their time and talents beyond expectations for the betterment of our children and the Lake Tahoe School community.
There will undoubtedly be many stories, anecdotes, and mentions of the various members of the Class of 2022. Without a doubt, it is a class with a wonderful history – and again, one of the largest graduating classes in school history on the cusp of our 25th year. Numerous students have come and gone from this class, but the students have persevered, welcomed new members, and sometimes nurtured each other, and certainly deserve our sincerest congratulations.
In short, the class of 2022 lives in my mind – and I hope in yours – as a class full of smiles, hugs, humor, drama, and unlimited potential. Underneath it all as well lives a sense of untapped maturity, incredible leadership opportunities, and above all else, a deep and vast pool of potential. As educator and author Christopher Emdin said, “The only person better than you, is embedded in you.”
Finally, please enjoy an original song written for her class by one of our graduates, Sydney Kassekert, in the video below.
Congratulations to the Class of 2022!
