Commencement 2022

Congratulations to the Roland Park Country School Class of 2022! On Monday, June 6, the graduating seniors were recognized for their academic, athletic, artistic and service and citizenship achievements at an annual Class Day ceremony, which also included passing of the leadership offices to the rising senior class. Then, on Tuesday, June 7, the Class of 2022 and their families, along with the rest of the Upper School student body and all RPCS employees, gathered for an in-person Commencement, held in the RPCS Athletic Complex, that was also livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook. This ceremony marks the first time since June of 2019 that the school gathered for a fully realized Commencement celebration.

 

“Today we mark a remarkable moment for your class: you are standing boldly on the other side of an incredible arc of time,” Mrs. Caroline Blatti, Head of School, told the Class of 2022. “I can confidently tell you that your success today is a tangible reminder that you can do anything you set your hearts and minds to. If life presents you with curveballs in the future – and, to be sure, that will be the case –  remember this day, this class and this moment; you have got this. You have what it takes to see something through to the end – to find the joy in the heartache and to find the courage to stand strong in the face of the unknown.”

 

After the audience was treated to a beautiful performance of “Your Song” from the 2021-2022 Semiquavers, the school’s auditioned music ensemble, Ellen Salovaara, 2022 delivered the senor speech. She spoke about the unique community and spirit that defines RPCS and the small moments and memories that shaped a very memorable four years in Upper School. “When I first toured the RPCS campus four years ago, I was struck by a feeling,” Ellen told the audience. “I felt like I had been here before. I felt like the people who greeted me could become some of my closest friends—and they did. I felt then like RPCS was a community of spirited people, and today I feel a sense of belonging in these hallways and in these classrooms like I never have felt anywhere else. I found community in the small gestures, spirit in the seemingly mundane. These undercurrents make us feel supported and encouraged to achieve our highest potential.”

 

Ellen also encouraged the audience to not define the Class of 2022 by what they missed, but rather by what they have gained, including increased resiliency and empathy. “I hope we are remembered for what we have done, how we have persevered, and the ways in which we have learned. We deserve to be seen not for what we have lost, but for what we have to offer.”

 

After the Senior Awards were presented, physician and RPCS alumna Morgan Katz, M.D., MHS, 2002 delivered the Commencement address. As Assistant Professor of Infectious Disease at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Morgan spoke about the twists and turns her life took which led to her career. “You will face one million challenges in life – some of them big and some of them small that feel really big,” Morgan told the audience. “Things will happen to you and things will happen because of you, and the only constant is that things will change. Situations – both good and bad – will pass.”

 

Morgan also spoke about how well RPCS prepared her for college and beyond and how the school taught her integrity at an early age, a value that she hopes to instill in her children as well. She also talked about the special relationships she made with her classmates – bonds that are still strong today. She told the seniors at the end of her speech: “You have the integrity, you have the preparation, you have the backup! Class of 2022, you are ready to take on the world.”

 

After Upper School Head Mrs. Colleen Kyle, President of the Board of Trustees Carroll Knott McGill, 1993, and Mrs. Blatti distributed diplomas to each senior, the entire audience sang the school song.

 

As Mrs. Blatti told the Class of 2022, “You are ready for the remarkable lives I know you will shape with fierce hearts, incredible minds and a strength that is now uniquely yours. What you have endured is what makes today such a triumph for your class.”

 

We are so proud of this outstanding Class of 2022! Watch the full commencement and the Class Day ceremony and follow along with the digital program.