Eight young people made history on June 19, becoming the first graduating class of the Alexandria campus of Commonwealth Academy.
The graduation ceremony took place at The Lyceum with friends, relatives, Commonwealth Academy staff and members of the Board of Trustees looking on. Mayor-elect William D. Euille gave the commencement address.
“You should be proud of what you have accomplished so far and proud of what you will accomplish in the future,” Euille said. “Live life to the fullest. Continue to do your best. We hope that each of you will go on to college and then come back to Alexandria and make a contribution to this community in whatever field you have chosen. Good luck and God bless.”
Commonwealth Academy is a high school and college preparatory program for average to superior students in grades six-12 who have organizational attention or learning differences, along with those who benefit from small classes and individualized instruction. Personal responsibility for learning, behavior, use of technology, and compensatory strategies are embedded in the curriculum, as well as being directly taught, to help students reach their highest achievement levels reflective of their true potential.
AS THE EIGHT graduates received their diplomas, some made brief statements. “I can’t believe I’m really here,” said Karlee Oakes. “I want to thank my family and the staff at Commonwealth Academy for always being there for me and pushing me.”
Most of the graduates will attend college. Kevin Scott Belling will attend Radford University and plans to major in criminal justice. Christopher Worth Criner plans to major in industrial design and will be a student at Virginia Commonwealth University in the honors program.
Mike Raymon Easton would like to study physical therapy but also plans to continue his career as a mixed martial arts fighter. Clayton W. Goins will attend Marymount University and study business management.
Brian William Landers will major in business at Randolph-Macon College. David James Nelson will attend Curry College, where he plans to study business and music. Karlee Oakes will take classes at Northern Virginia Community College, and Melissa Renee Potosky wants to be an English teacher and will attend Longwood College.
“These eight graduates not only represent personal and individual successes but they also represent the fulfillment of the mission of Commonwealth Academy,” said Dr. Susan Johnson, head of school. “Your success, sitting here on this stage today, is a collective success. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, and that village is sitting here in this room today.
“You eight graduates will have a special place in the history of Commonwealth Academy as the first graduating class from our new Alexandria campus. You are a bridge from the past of what Commonwealth Academy was to the future and what it will become. I am grateful for having been able to get to know you. … You have enriched my life,” she said.