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The Hill School's 2025 Commencement Ceremony
It was a picture-perfect day to celebrate The Hill School's 174th Commencement Exercises which took place on Saturday, May 24, 2025. The celebration began with a Baccalaureate service in the Alumni Chapel, led by the sixth form with an address offered by Retiring Senior Master of the Arts Ellen O. Nelson P’10 ’13.
Meigs Family Head of School Kathleen Devaney presided over the Commencement Ceremony. She began by congratulating the 159 members of the Class of 2025 and their families for making it to this culminating moment in their Hill School journeys. Ms. Devaney also thanked the faculty for their role in supporting and guiding the class.
In her address, Ms. Devaney reminded the Class of 2025 of the enduring power of the School’s motto, “Whatsoever things are true,” chosen more than a century ago by third Headmaster Alfred Rolfe. She encouraged students to see the motto as a guide, urging them to center their lives on truth and goodness.
She charged the class to be true to themselves and to others—drawing strength from the personal growth they experienced at Hill and from the relationships they formed, and they were cautioned against confusing truth with perfection.
“Each of you has been an essential part of our Hill community; an individual contributing to and drawing strength from the whole. And as you prepare to leave this place, know that just as the single line—whatsoever things are true—carries the full power and meaning of Paul's complete message, so too do you carry the complete essence of your Hill experience with you,” said Ms. Devaney. “The strength of your education and the bonds formed here will remain. When you next feel the sense of standing alone—perhaps as you begin the journey of making new friends or joining a new community—remember and draw strength from the knowledge that you are forever part of this greater whole and you will always be connected to the community you helped shape and that helped shape you.”
Remarks by Caylie Zigner '25
This year, Caylie Zigner was selected to offer the Sixth Form Student Address. Caylie, a self-proclaimed “faculty kid” and daughter of Director of Studies Bo Kim, shared her perspective on how The Hill as her home has evolved and changed over the last 13 years and the mixed feelings she and others have about now leaving home.
“Soon, we will scatter across the country and the world. Summer will come and go. And for the first time in many years, this won’t be our home anymore,” said Caylie. “And that truth is harder to sit with than I expected.”
She then shared a story about an alumnus named Eric, who was a member of her mom’s advisory 10 years ago who developed a special bond with their family who is still very much part of their lives and who was even in the audience that day.
“. . . it hit me: the connection we had with him didn’t last just because of the time we spent together—it lasted because we continue to make the effort to keep it alive,” noted Caylie.
She then referenced the phrase we often see on walls and in yearbooks: Hill ties never sever, saying: “It’s something we all hear, and maybe sometimes we say it without really thinking. But I’ve come to believe it’s not just a comforting slogan—it’s a promise. But like all promises, it only stays true if we choose to keep it. Hill ties never sever—unless we let them.”
Lastly, Caylie thanked the school, teachers and mentors, families and finally, the class of 2025: “Thank you for making this place more than a school. You made it a family. You made it a home. You made me believe that the ties we have made here will never sever. Thank you.”
Retiring Senior Master Teacher Kathryn R. Malone, Ph.D. Addresses the Class of 2025
Ms. Devaney then introduced Dr. Kathy Malone, Senior Master Teacher of Humanities and Elizabeth B. Blossom Chair of Humanities Emeritus, to offer her remarks to the Class of 2025.
Ms. Devaney shared, “Affectionately known to generations of Hill students as “Doc,” Kathy Malone is a woman whose remarkable 26-year tenure at The Hill School and 45-year career in education have left an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of countless students and colleagues.” She continued, “With her infectious love of learning and teaching and reverence for inquiry, she has helped transform hundreds of students seated around her Harkness table into lifelong scholars. She creates learning spaces where every voice matters, and every perspective is welcomed.”
Dr. Malone first expressed her gratitude for being asked to speak calling it “the highest honor a person in my position or profession can be given.”
She then asked students to close their eyes and recall their very first visual memory of Hill. She then challenged them to consider how that impression had evolved, pointing to the growth and transformation that defines both the student journey and the Hill experience.
“A school is a living thing,” she reminded the graduates. “Each one of you has changed Hill as Hill has changed you.”
One of the central themes of Dr. Malone’s address was the importance of surprise as a key marker of real learning. Whether joyful or jarring, she explained, surprise disrupts expectations and forces us to reexamine what we know—often leading to discovery and growth.
“Surprise means that Learning is happening—or at least has the chance to.”
Reflecting on a powerful moment from her own early years at Hill, Dr. Malone shared the story of a former student who returned to her classroom just days after witnessing the 9/11 attacks from New York City. He expressed his need to be in a place where he’d feel completely safe and where she could help him make sense of the experience.
That sacred space—a Hill classroom—served as a symbol throughout her address for all the places on campus where transformation occurs, as she broadened the definition of “classroom” to include studios, dormitories, dining halls, playing fields, and any space where students grow and evolve.
“A Classroom—so often more broadly defined—is where the most important work of any culture is done: ensuring its own continuity and future through the education of its young,” said Dr. Malone.
She also paid tribute to her fellow faculty and staff, calling them “a remarkable group” who live out Hill’s mission daily—many of whom are alumni or represent multi-generational ties to the School. She named dozens of colleagues and families, underscoring the deep legacy and commitment that define Hill’s adult community.
“What a privilege and honor it has been to spend my life and work in such company,” she said, offering her own heartfelt “Sixth Form Shoutout.”
To the graduating class, Dr. Malone offered four enduring gifts: Wise and Discerning Hearts; the Courage to Will and to Persevere; the Spirit to Know and Understand; and the Gift of Joy and Wonder, with her parting wish that each student finds their own purpose and joy in life—just as she has found hers at Hill.
“I hope that you may each find yourself able to say, in your own 72nd year, that you have spent your life doing the work you love and feel called to do,” said Dr. Malone.
And in classic Hill fashion, she closed with a loving reminder that while their Hill journey may be ending, the connection endures: “You are part of Hill as Hill will be part of us—wherever, and however long and far life’s adventures may take us all.”
Presentation of Special Awards and Diplomas
Ms. Devaney then presented a series of traditional Special Commencement Prizes to select members of the class. View a complete list of Special Prize Winners and their citations below.
Members of the Class of 2025 and their family, friends, and Hill faculty all joined voices in singing the School song, "A Thousand Hands," followed by the official presentation of the diplomas by Board Chair James Alexandre '75.
Once the diplomas had been presented, Ms. Devaney asked Mrs. Ellen O. Nelson P’10 ’13, retiring Senior Master Teacher of the Arts, to join her on the stage for a special honor.
“As you all know, Mrs. Nelson is retiring after serving the School for the past 38 years. But Ellen, the daughter of Hill’s beloved faculty members Winnie and Dick O’Shaughnessy ’50, has called Hill home for the past six decades,” shared Ms. Devaney. “Ellen joined the faculty in 1987 and has held myriad positions here on campus and impacted countless students’ journeys at The Hill School. In addition, this Senior Master Teacher of the Arts, revered by her fellow faculty and students alike, is an award-winning artist in her own right.”
Ms. Devaney, then asked Ellen’s mother, Mrs. O’Shaughnessy, faculty member from 1970 to 1996 and first female faculty member to earn a place on our prized 25-year wall, to also join her on stage.
“Ellen, on behalf of a grateful school, we would like to honor you with a Hill School Diploma,” Ms. Devaney pronounced. “And, Winnie, in keeping with the tradition of honoring faculty parents for their exceptional devotion to the school, would you present your daughter with this diploma?”
The historic moment was touching and the perfect way to honor a lifetime of dedication and service to The Hill.
Before heading to the Dell Pond to make their splash as new alumni, each graduate placed a brick engraved with their name on the center pathway on the Quad. After a quick change into their “Class of 2025” t-shirts, the class celebrated their new alumni status with the traditional dip in the Dell, including Mrs. Nelson, who earned her honorary alumna status that morning.
View a recording of the 174th Baccalaureate and Commencement Exercises.
