Closing Ceremonies are a pretty standard part of every high school’s June calendar. Caps and gowns, valedictorians, conferral of diplomas – it’s an important moment in life, and Hawthorn always rises to the occasion in style!
However, one of the elements that sets us apart from the crowd is a portion of the ceremony when we stop for a moment and honour students for something more than academics, more than marks, more than scholarships. This recognition is given to students in Grades 8 to 12 who have been seen by two or more teachers, staff, or mentors for displaying virtue at various times during the school year. Because we believe that a true education goes beyond your grade average. It’s about who you are as a person.
We were so pleased to name the following eleven Virtue Recognition recipients for 2023-2024 at our US Closing Ceremony. Congratulations!
Reliability: Michaela ’26
Michaela is always punctual. When others are late for choir practice, she offers to go and get the others. You can count on her because she’s always there. She thinks about profound things such as purpose and her role in life, which is one reason why she is so grounded.
Resilience and Diligence: Mary ’27
Mary had to manage both life at school and life outside of school with all her extra-curricular activities, especially during the US play season. She continually pushed herself to do her best, one thing at a time, and she improved in many different ways.
Prudence: Chiara ’26
Chiara knew when to seek advice when the best course of action was not evident. Always wanting to do the right thing, she had the courage to address a situation in order to achieve mutual understanding for the benefit of others.
Cheerfulness: Ella ’26
Ella has a positive demeanour at all times – even during stressful periods like exam time. She always greets you with a smile and asks you how you’re doing. She has the skill of conversing with people and making them feel comfortable even when she’s on stage emceeing in front of a crowd of people she doesn’t know at the gala.
Initiative and Kindness: Emilia ’24 and Salma ’24
The morning of Father Fest, many things needed to be organized so no one was available to take photos or videos. Fortunately, a student came to the rescue by recruiting Film Club members to take photos and videos. The leaders of the Film Club showed patience in all their projects during the year, and kindly threw a party for all club members.
Dedication: Madeleine ’26
Madeleine got injured in a game but still went to represent Hawthorn at a track meet the following day even though she was in pain. During her run, she high-fived a girl from another school as she passed her in the race. Winning or improving one’s running time is great but Madeleine runs for reasons that go beyond time.
Fortitude: Naomi ’28
Naomi is unstoppable. She got hit in the head while performing on stage but stitches and lack of sleep from waiting hours in the Emergency Department didn’t stop her from performing in the play the following afternoon. She may be small but she’s a powerhouse.
Magnanimity: Isabella ’26
Isabella would get out of her comfort zone and explore new opportunities if it helps others. While volunteering for the school or another organization, she converses eloquently for hours with adults who she does not know. She will ignore her fear of heights and climb the high ropes at camp just because her team members do not want to be the first ones to climb up.
Responsibility and Leadership: Christine ’25 and Rocio ’25
The US play was entirely student-led. Students chose the play, bought it, held auditions, chose the actors and backstage crew, fundraised, directed, found parents to build the stage, did the make-up, costumes – everything was done by the students. There were many technical challenges, so there had to be a lot of collaboration between the actors and everyone working backstage. The play wasn’t just great entertainment for an audience. It was also an opportunity to reach out to lonely seniors because one student had the idea to invite the seniors from a nearby residence to watch the play for free.
