By Daniel Langhorne | Special to the NB Indy
Sage Hill School graduated 130 seniors at its 22nd commencement ceremony on June 7, capping a journey that had been different since their very first day of high school.
“It was the first day of school in the history of Sage Hill that did not take place on this school campus. It was a day of Zoom classes and digital introductions to your teachers and classmates as we started that year completely online in fall 2020,” Head of School Patricia Merz said in her speech during graduation. “However, we were so blessed to be able to open our campus back up only about a month later, and I know that ever since then, you have not taken a single day on this campus for granted.”
In lieu of Valedictorians, Sage Hill named the Head of School Award recipients: Alexandra Gomez of Newport Coast and Billy Ray of Fountain Valley. Gomez will attend University of Pennsylvania this fall. Ray was also awarded a U.S. Marine Corps scholarship for $180,000 toward his education for committing to join the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. After graduating from University of Hawaii at Manoa, Ray will earn his commission as a Marine second lieutenant.
Student speaker Briana Bao, a Yorba Linda resident who plans to attend Amherst College, addressed the school community gathered in Wilkins Town Square.
“Looking ahead, I see our wonderful class taking on the world as environmental activists, graphic designers, foreign service workers, medical researchers, and as Sage Hill’s 22nd class, we will probably always dance like we are 22 in whatever it is that fascinates us,” Bao said. “Quoting the enduring line from the story I shared almost three years ago now during our retreat talent show, I hope all of us can come to ‘love the life we live and live the life we love’ from our upcoming college years to beyond. I cannot wait to see where lightning will strike next.”
