Covington, Kentucky, June 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Covington Latin School’s 94th annual commencement ceremony convened at 7:00 PM on May 22nd, 2021. The proceedings were held in-person at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky. However, attendance was limited to immediate family due to COVID-19 restrictions. Each of the eighteen graduates was dressed in semi-formal black apparel and adorned with brilliant yellow roses. Bishop Roger Foys, Headmaster Dr. John P. Kennedy and Superintendent Kendra McGuire presided over the graduation.
The eighteen seniors in the Covington Latin School’s class of 2021 will be distinguished as the smallest graduating class the school has seen since 1954. However, the accolades this class accumulated places them as one of the more decorated classes in Covington Latin School’s history. Together these eighteen seniors received over 3.2 million dollars in scholarship offers and were accepted to 42 colleges and universities across the country. On average each student received offers surpassing $800,000 in scholarships. With a 30.2 average ACT score, all eighteen students will continue their education at the college of their first preference. This exiting class will have a swift start on future academic endeavors, as on average each achieved twenty-one collegiate credits before ever leaving Covington Latin School. These twenty-one dual credits (credits that count towards high school and college) will mean many of these students will enter college as sophomores, bypassing their freshman year completely.
Covington Latin School’s Class of 2021 diplomas were bestowed upon:
Andrew Bruno Apollonio
Andrew Michael Blair
Madison Paige Denham
Katherine Elizabeth Hammerle
John Edward Hubbart
Abigail Sue Hyrne
Mia Bella Ionna
Allyson Elizabeth Knotts
Elizabeth Marie Longbrake
Boston Edwin Main
Shannon Kerry McCarthy
Laurynn Hailee Marie Smith
Brianna Marie Sweeney
Ella Maycee Thornberry
Mary Lauren Veazey
Kazuhide Watanabe
Keller William White
Jack Dalton Wilburn
Valedictorian Mary Lauren Veazey addressed her peers with an inspirational presentation referencing spirit, discipline, education and faith, intertwined within a multitude of praise, appreciation and hope. Covington Latin’s 2021 valedictorian also received the English Award, Leadership Award and the Faculty Award granted to the senior who most demonstrates the Covington Latin School’s motto of goodness, discipline and knowledge. She was also named the KHSAA Athlete of the Year for Diving. Miss Veazey will be attending Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
After the ceremony Ella Thornberry continued a long-standing tradition by giving her Salutatorian speech at the graduation luncheon. Miss Thornberry, together with her words of grace, truly captured the spirit and spark of this graduating class. She will be attending Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.
Bishop Foys shared that this was his 180th graduation ceremony over his 19 years as Bishop of Covington. Bishop Foys saluted the graduating seniors, led all in prayer and thanked the parents, faculty and staff of Covington Latin School for their faith. He expressed the uniqueness that is Covington Latin School when he stated that the school may be:
“…often imitated, never duplicated - that’s Covington Latin. The spirit, the tradition, the discipline, the education, the faith, can never be duplicated.”
Then after praising the graduating class more for their unwavering spirit, discipline, education and faith, especially in the midst of the global pandemic, he professed in closing these words of wisdom:
“…as you go on to other pursuits, how you respond to difficulty, how you respond to challenges and how you respond to crises, will define who you are.”
One of the more notable acts of this graduating class was the 2,000 hours of community service. Those acts of kindness, combined with their resilience, goodness, discipline, knowledge and faith are a tribute to the gift of a Catholic education. We wish them all the best as they seek to conquer the world.
Event photos can be found at the Covington Latin School’s Facebook page: (www.facebook.com/covingtonlatin) and the graduation ceremony can be watched on the Cathedral Basilica Vimeo page: (https://vimeo.com/553807116).
###
Covington Latin School is a co-educational, Roman Catholic, accelerated, college preparatory middle and high school; offering a classical education for gifted students. Our unique educational programs allow gifted students to move at a pace and complexity that suits their academic and social emotional needs. The aim is to form Christian leaders by challenging them to attain their academic, intellectual, social and moral potential. Since its inception in 1923, the Latin School has operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky. The school is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (S.A.C.S.) and is certified by the US Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. Covington Latin is ranked the #1 private school in Northern Kentucky by Cincinnati Magazine and named as a Top 3 school in the state of Kentucky.
For more information on Covington Latin School visit our website: www.CovingtonLatin.org
Attachments