Chantilly High School graduating class of 2016 toss their caps in the air upon graduating. Photo by Kemble Mountcastle/The Connection
See more Chantilly High graduation photos on Facebook.
Six hundred and thirty Chantilly High School seniors celebrated as they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas at EagleBank Area located on George Mason University’s campus on June 20. Over half of those students belonged to an academic honor society and more than a dozen planned to enlist in a branch of the military.
Twins Megan and Patrick Hern reminisced on their favorite high school memories and accomplishments. “I loved being on the varsity swim team for four years,” said Megan Hern who will be attending Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg. Patrick Hern will head off to North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
Excitement seemed to be a common trend among the graduates. When asked if he was happy or sad to have graduated, Andrew Kim ‘16 replied, “I am ecstatic.” Kim will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and plans to pursue a degree in pre-med.
Prior to receiving diplomas, a keynote speech was given by Charles Koch, a history teacher at Chantilly High School. Koch proceeded to list the A, B, C’s with each letter representing a different inspirational or meaningful word.
“L, is for listen,” Koch said. “One of the most important things a person can do, is be a good listener.”
An honor graduate speech was also given by Kristen Popham ‘16. Within the speech, Popham expressed how life consists of making moments and the importance of making as many as possible.
Popham received presidential academic awards and was a member of the French, English and National Honors Society. She will be attending the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg in the fall.
Other class accomplishments included more than $2 million in scholarship funds and having more than 100 students earning a 4.0 GPA or higher.