Glen Urquhart School recently celebrated the Class of 2020 with an in-person, socially-distanced graduation ceremony, hosted on their campus in Beverly Farms. The campus was closed in March due to COVID-19, preventing the scheduled graduation ceremony from taking place on June 10.

On Sunday, July 19, families gathered at Glen Urquhart School for the 38th Annual Graduation Ceremony. As is tradition, the Class of 2020 gathered ahead of the ceremony to make boutonnieres and floral bouquets, and pose for a class photo. Proudly wearing their GUS tartan, they were then escorted by bagpipers from the Graduates Garden behind lower school to Bartlett Field for the ceremony, where families were waiting, spaced 6 feet apart. Graduates were individually introduced and celebrated by Head of School Gretchen Forsyth.

“At GUS, we have always pushed our students to welcome challenges, to find the opportunity for growth in difficulty, and to take appropriate risks to see what they are truly capable of,” said Head of School Gretchen Forsyth. “These young people have done all that and more. Class of 2020, you faced challenges no other class has ever had to face. Nothing got you down. Instead, you dazzled us with your individual triumphs, moved us with your passion, and inspired us with your perseverance.”

Alumni graduation speakers Joeseph Bertanga and Julia Schaepe shared remarks virtually. This GUS graduation tradition invites alumni, graduating eighth graders at the time the current graduating class was in Kindergarten, to share words of advice with the graduating class. These were shared in June to commemorate the original graduation date. Students also had the opportunity to come to campus in June with their immediate families to hear their graduate introductions from Forsyth, and to have family portraits taken.

Graduates of the Class of 2020 include Marshall Aptt, Ani Bagley, Mikaila Bennett, Catherine Carroll, Max Clarke, Barrett D’Orio, Emmanuel DeAngelis, Will Fogelgren, Cade Furse, Marisa Geringer, Theadora Glass, Lucy Grant, Lila Graves, Fiona Hazel, Lia Kermes, Anna Leavitt, Claire Lewis, Carter Long, Eliza Loring, Zoe Moriarty, Henry Nelson, Salvatore Parisi, Morgan Proops, Ananda Stephan, Charles Swanson, Elliott Thompson, Michael Todd and Callahan White.

Next fall, GUS graduates head off to a number of high schools, including Academy at Penguin Hall, Beverly High School, Bishop Fenwick High School, Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School, Gloucester High School, Hamilton Wenham Regional High School, Hyde School, Kimball Union Academy, Manchester Essex Regional High School, Phillips Academy Andover, Pingree School, St. John’s Prep, The Governors Academy and Waring School.