Commencement 2025 | News | Worcester Academy

Worcester Academy held its 191st Commencement on Friday, June 6, celebrating the achievements, growth, and promise of the Class of 2025. In front of family, friends, and faculty on the historic Quad, 133 students received their diplomas, marking the culmination of their academic journeys and the beginning of the next chapter.

Head of School Kevin Breen opened the ceremony by welcoming families, faculty, and honored guests, and offering special recognition to retiring faculty members Elizabeth Bowles, Barbara Gould, and Paul Himottu for their combined 82 years of dedicated service to the Academy.

The Class of 2025 heard from keynote speaker Elizabeth Butterworth ’07, a scholar, advocate, and attorney whose work has focused on housing justice and expanding access to legal support for underserved communities. Butterworth encouraged graduates to center their lives around community and kindness. She told the graduates, “Seek out environments where the measure of achievement is how much you support your community, not whether you rise to the top. Define yourself first and foremost by your values.”

Valedictorian Ava Detarando reflected on the journey she and her classmates have shared throughout their time at Worcester Academy. Detarando, who spent seven years on the Hilltop and will attend the University of Miami in the fall, spoke to both the excitement of the moment and the lasting connections they have built. “Although this may be the last time we are all together on campus, I am beyond excited to see what each and every one of you will go on to accomplish,” she said. “Our experiences here have shaped us into students who dream big.”

Salutatorian Harrison Martel spoke about self-awareness and personal growth. “Maybe the value in this speech isn’t wisdom, but honesty. I can be honest,” he said. “Find your tough truths. Feel them. Face them. Examine them. Then, we grow. And that is when we can begin to truly live.”

Two major honors were awarded during the ceremony. Martel, who will attend Johns Hopkins University, received the Bucknell Scholarship, which recognizes excellence in scholarship and character. The Sigma Zeta Kappa Cup, awarded by vote of the senior class to the peer who best exemplifies the school’s motto of Achieve the Honorable, was presented to Ryan Sullivan, who will attend Harvard University.

The ceremony concluded with the conferring of diplomas by Board of Trustees President Meg O’Leary and Head of the Upper School Madeline Surgenor Richards. With tassels turned, the Class of 2025 officially joined the ranks of Worcester Academy alumni. Following the ceremony, graduates were welcomed into a longstanding Worcester Academy tradition as faculty formed a reception line to personally greet and congratulate each member of the class.

A full event photo gallery offers a look back at all of the day’s memorable moments.