Young Alum Kaley Hutter ('19) Reflects on Commencement

Kaley Hutter
Picture the morning of May 25th, 2019--the sun shines proudly in her arc across the sky as 51 graduates-to-be scurry beneath her, getting ready for the big day. Bobby pins slide into navy caps.
Tassels flit in and out of eyesight--which side are they supposed to be on again? An excited buzz hovers in the air around the Hickory Campus gymnasium, where The Covenant School’s Class of 2019 will soon ceremonially move into the world’s community of scholars. Out of sight, upstairs, line up the seniors--I among them. As I survey the room of classmates I’ve grown up with, each subtly unique and gifted in their own way, I can’t help but smile. A handful of them will shine on the collegiate sports field in the next few years. Others will pursue their artistic gifts in prestigious BFA programs up and down the East Coast. Multiple will come out of college debt-free, thanks to academic merit scholarships Covenant prepared them well to compete for. And all of them will enter the world bearing the fingerprints of a Covenant education, with the strength to succeed intellectually, the humility to ask questions, the compassion to serve others, and the wisdom to use the tools they’ve been equipped with. With a shake of a hand, a grasp of a diploma, a flip of a tassel--everything changes. Well--almost everything. The foundation Covenant has given us will always stand firm; the incredible memories and mentors we’ve found here will never truly be left behind; the spiritual gifts fostered here will always stay with us. As we walk down the stairs for the last time and get into place, the bittersweet sentimentality of it all washes over me. The Portrait of the Graduate may not be yet complete, but I’m thankful for the framework and color that Covenant has encouraged in me the past 13 years. Keep sketching, Covenant. 
 
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The Covenant School

Birdwood Campus | Lower School | Pre-K–Grade 5 |
1000 Birdwood Road Charlottesville, VA 22903 | 434.220.7309

Hickory Campus | Middle and Upper School | Grades 6–12 | 175 Hickory Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 | 434.220.7329
Located in Charlottesville, VA, The Covenant School is a non-denominational, private, Christian day school for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, visual and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.