Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin School celebrated the achievements of 160 members of its Class of 2019 during the school’s 29th annual commencement ceremony on May 24th at the Mentor Fine Arts Center.
FINISHING STRONG: Augie King lifts his diploma high as he and his classmates exit the commencement
ceremony on Friday night.
NOW NO GROWLING: Even Tuffy (junior Ben McIlroy)
gets some last-minute commencement directions from Principal Mr. Joseph A. Waler.
PROUD LIONS: Seniors Anna Deegan, Madeline Cipolla, and Sydney Cashier show off their diplomas as
they celebrate their new status as NDCL alumnae following Friday evening’s commencement.
Mr. Paul Wilkes, a 1956 graduate of Cathedral Latin, delivered the commencement address. A journalist and author with degrees from Marquette and Columbia, Wilkes has written extensively about individual spirituality as well as the role of religion in public and personal lives. His work has been published by the New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and The Atlantic.
LIFE LESSONS: Commencement speaker Mr. Paul Wilkes ’56 engages and inspires the audience, including Assistant Principal Mrs. Denice Teeples and President Dr. Michael Bates.
In his inspirational remarks punctuated with humorous anecdotes from his own youth, Wilkes quickly glossed over his professional accomplishments to focus on the enduring lesson he learned as a “Latin man.”
“We learned that you were put on this earth to make the world a better place,” Wilkes recalled. “It was part of the culture of the school, and it stuck with me.”
In 1971 he co-founded Christian Help in Park Slope, which continues to serve food for the poor and provide shelter and support for homeless mothers in Brooklyn, New York. He later founded Homes of Hope India, which since 2006 has raised over $4 million and built fifteen homes for orphaned, abandoned, and neglected girls.
Mr. Wilkes urged our newest alumni to look beyond degrees, promotions, and possessions to ask themselves, “How will I make the world better by my life?” He suggested that they use that simple but powerful question as a short prayer to begin each day.
“And when you pray before going to bed at night, ask yourself: How did I do?”
Pictured In Cover Photo: ENDING ON A SWEET NOTE: Our newest alumni band members Kyle Hoffman, Cal Yackin, Isaac Ray, Izzy Sanders, Katie Lee, Carter Callender, Haley Drinkwater, Hannah Taylor, and Frank Newsome enjoy some “band bonding” with math teacher and assistant band director Mr. Ben Lozar ’09.
All Photos Courtesy of NDCL
