News

Newton Country Day’s 145th Commencement Exercises were held in the Sunken Garden on Thursday, June 5. Faculty, staff, and the families and friends of the 60 graduates of the Class of 2025 gathered under the tent to celebrate the accomplishments of the senior class.

After the procession into the tent, Head of School Jessica Hooper P ‘28 offered the crowd a welcome. “What a joy it is to gather on this beautiful morning to celebrate the Newton Country Day Class of 2025—a remarkable group of 60 young women who share in common not only the bonds of sisterhood, but the transformative power of a Sacred Heart education.” Hooper invited all to extend gratitude to trustees, faculty, and staff, as well as the parents and caregivers of the Class of 2025. She urged the graduating class to remember: “Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart is not a place you go to—it is a place you go from. You came here to learn, to be formed, to discover who you are and who you are called to become. Now that you have, the question is: Where will you go from here?”

Hooper then introduced Class President Sabrina Pierre-Louis ‘25, who gave the Invocation, followed by Mary Quinlan Prize recipient Maggie Crowley ‘25, who took the stage to deliver the Salutatory Address. Crowley began by recognizing the undeniable characteristic trait of the Class of 2025, as well as the school as a whole: generosity of joy. “What I’ve discovered here is that the natural disposition of someone formed by the Sacred Heart is to give. Her time, her energy, her attention, her love. And it is the culture of generosity at this school that has made an indelible mark on each of our hearts,” remarked Crowley. She went on to share her appreciation for the close bond of sisterhood formed among the members of her graduating class. “We belong to each other and this mission of generously sharing the love that we’ve encountered in this school. You all are my role models, and I am proud to call you my sisters.”

Hooper took the stage once again to introduce Commencement speaker Mary Thompson ‘81, an award-winning journalist who started as a print reporter for Bloomberg News, moving on to Bloomberg Radio and Television as a financial reporter, then to CNBC as a general assignment reporter, covering the banking and insurance industries, the 2008 financial crisis, and Hurricane Katrina. She received the prestigious Gerald Loeb Award for her coverage of the Bernard Madoff Scandal and a National Headliner Award for her reporting on price fixing in the insurance industry. Currently, Thompson works as an advisor and moderator to World 50’s corporate director program.

Thompson offered the Class of 2025 a piece of advice: to listen. “Any relationship, work or personal requires communication, and while most think of communication as speaking, its more important partner is listening. It’s not only how you learn, it's also the gift of being present and respectful to others. It is how friendships are formed; it is how communities thrive.” She also pointed out the current state of mass communication: “A fragmented media market means people can curate what they see and hear, and all the while a generation – your generation – is losing trust in the institutions that used to guide, inform and protect us - the government, the media, religion.” She urged: “We have to listen with compassion and patience, and hope that in listening, we can learn something– about our friends' anger, their pain, their reasoning, or even their silence. You don’t have to agree, or even respond, but the courtesy of listening, and listening closely, can be the first step in building or rebuilding trust that is lost. In this world you are about to enter, you will need to do this. It won’t be easy, but find strength in the sisterhood you have here. This can be a safe and caring community. You can and should give back to it, but you can also ask of it when you need it.”

After the conferring of diplomas, Alice Husson Prize recipient Meredith Huber ‘25 took the stage to express gratitude for the school’s faculty and staff. “Thanks to the encouragement, patience, and generosity of each member of our faculty and staff, we can feel confident in our ability to take on complex and challenging issues and visualize how we as individuals can make a difference in our own unique way. Thank you for seeing us for who we are and for who we can be, for the time and dedication you give to your work and to us, your students, and for laughing, traveling, and growing with us.” 

Following the distribution of prizes, Finlay McCormick ‘25 delivered the Janet Erskine Stuart Valedictory Address, sharing her reflections on leadership. “Servant leadership is at the heart of Sacred Heart education, and has defined the work our grade has done here. It is a type of leadership that is marked by empathy, purpose and above all, joy.” She also shared about the unique and close bond of sisterhood of her class: “Though we are soon to step away from the place we have called home for many years, we will carry this shared sense of sisterhood with us no matter which far corners of the world we explore. This community has given us, as Mrs. Hooper so eloquently put it, the courage to be confident: not only confident in ourselves, but in who we stand beside.” 

McCormick closed with her hopes for her graduating class: “In a world that is becoming increasingly filtered and superficial, I hope we remain rooted in what is real. I hope that we approach our lives with the same sense of wonder and awe we have cultivated here. I hope we continue to marvel at the beauty of the world and our place in it. I hope that we maintain our spirit of authentic connection and servant leadership. I hope we move into the world and use our time and relationships here as blueprints for the communities we will build. I hope we become leaders within those spaces, and most importantly, friends to all we encounter. I believe that we will be the ones starting cross-cultural conversations and forging connections across lines of tension with poise and compassion.” She reminded her class: “Our Sacred Heart education is a gift, and it is now up to us to share this gift with the world.”

After the Sacred Heart Awards were distributed by Nicole Noel, Assistant Head of School, Hooper congratulated the graduates and award recipients and addressed the Class of 2025 for a final time: “Spend your life in gratitude for the love that has shaped you, the education that has formed you, and the community that will always stand with you. Never forget the promise found in Romans 8: Nothing – absolutely nothing – can separate you from the love of God." She then invited Chair of the Board of Trustees Maura T. Murphy ’99 to deliver the closing prayer. Families then joined their graduates for photos and celebration as they were welcomed into our alumnae community.

Prizes

Mary Quinlan Prize: Maggie Crowley ’25
Alice Husson Prize: Meredith Huber ’25
Janet Erskine Stuart Prize: Finlay McCormick ’25

Art: Adele Touloukian ‘25
Chinese: Elsa Cressotti ‘25
Computer Science: Riley Montague ‘25
Dance: Analise Kretsedemas ‘25
English: Finlay McCormick ‘25
French: Meredith Huber ‘25
History: Julia Hirsch ‘25
Instrumental Music: Elsa Cressotti ‘25
Latin: Julia Connolly ‘25
Mathematics: Ludovica Melodia ‘25
National Honor Society: Lillian Souza ‘25
Performing Arts: Abigail Unger ‘25
Religious Studies: Ellie Schlichtmann ‘25
Scholar Artist: Eleanor Allen ‘25
Scholar Athlete: Lilly Pergola ‘25
Science: Alara Ecemis ‘25
Senior Project: Carina Fujimoto ‘25
Spanish: Sochi Egwim ‘25
STEM: Sasha Schafer ‘25
Vocal Music: Sophia Beaver ‘25

Pamela Donovan Prize: Hope Moriarty ‘25
Sarah Jones Prize: Nylah-Rene Andrade ‘25
Paula Collins Mazzio Prize: Avery Spalding ‘25
Clare Pratt Prize: Avery Grover ‘25
Virginia Schumann Prize: Wheatley Evarts ‘25
Barbara Rogers Prize: Nora Joyce ‘25
Clare McGowan Prize: Dr. Mark Potter

Sacred Heart Awards
Goal I: A personal and active faith in God: Sophia Beaver ‘25
Goal II: A deep respect for intellectual values: Ludovica Melodia ‘25
Goal III: A social awareness which impels to action: Cat Cole-French ‘25
Goal IV: The building of community as a Christian value: Elizabeth Kfoury ‘25
Goal V: Personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom: Chrysanthi Grover ‘25

St. Philippine Duchesne Prize: Fiona Jobson ‘25
St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Prize: Abigail Goodman ‘25