Hillsdale Academy Hosts 20th Annual Commencement Ceremony
Hillsdale, Mich. — Hillsdale Academy held a private graduation ceremony for its senior class on June 28, 2020. Seniors and their immediate families enjoyed a small, outdoor ceremony. Commencement had originally been scheduled a month earlier but was delayed due to restrictions in Michigan related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, assistant provost for K-12 education at Hillsdale College and a 2002 graduate of Hillsdale Academy, gave the commencement address. She exhorted the graduates to use the intellectual and moral virtue gained through their studies at Hillsdale Academy to defend civilization.
“You all are entering into adulthood at a time unlike any other in our recent history, and perhaps the history of our country itself,” O’Toole said. “As the great thinkers teach us, civilization is fragile. Order and liberty are not permanent, and they require the work of virtuous men and women to bolster them up each generation.”
Co-valedictorians Katherine Knecht and Helen Schlueter gave addresses, and salutatorian Bridget Whalen gave the Latin address. Following the ceremony, graduates formed a line along the Academy’s driveway so friends and extended family members could congratulate them at a drive-through reception. The Class of 2020 includes 20 students who will attend institutions including Hillsdale College, Michigan State University, Cornell University, and Washington University in St. Louis.
“Despite all the changes that the last few months have forced upon us, the ultimate goal of Hillsdale Academy has not changed one iota—that is, to cultivate graduates whose lives are characterized by virtue and wisdom,” said Hillsdale Academy Headmaster Dr. David Diener. “It is our hope and prayer that these seniors, and all who are gathered here, would live virtuous and wise lives that bring glory to the one and only God who alone is the perfect standard of virtue and the source of all wisdom and knowledge.”
About Hillsdale Academy
Hillsdale Academy is an independent, classical K-12 day school located on the campus of Hillsdale College. A rigorous course of study is combined with the strong conviction that biblical and classical virtues are necessary in the formation of the American citizen. The school was established out of the conviction that modern American education was in need of profound reform. Learn more at academy.hillsdale.edu.