Davis’ 68 Grads Urged Not to Forget the Present
The 25-year-old academy sends its largest class to 11 high schools next year.
Sarah Moosazadeh is a staff writer for the Atlanta Jewish Times.
Between endings and beginnings, one moment — the present — often gets overlooked, Rabbi Micah Lapidus said during the Davis Academy’s 2018 graduation ceremony Thursday, May 31.
That’s a lesson the 68 members of the Class of 2018, the largest in Davis’ history, will take to high school in the fall. The present represents a moment when people can pause and reflect, Rabbi Lapidus said, something the graduates and their friends and families did while viewing a video of the students’ memories of Davis.
The graduates showed their enthusiasm as they sang Israeli Netta Barzilai’s Eurovision-winning song “Toy.”
The graduates will scatter to 11 public and private high schools, including the Weber School. The 2018 class increases the total number of graduates of the 25-year-old school to 1,033.
Drew Frank, Davis’ associate head of school and principal, reflected on the graduates’ time at the school: “Over the years we have come to know, laugh and love each and every one of you, and I will miss the incredible artistic, musical, theatrical, comical talent in the years you have shared here.”
As keynote speaker, Class of 2004 alumna and Tulane University graduate Kelsey Rogut represented Davis’ past while helping the graduates look to the future. She urged them to work hard, surround themselves with friends and leaders who make them feel strong and confident, not stress over the little things, let go of drama, think carefully about what they give and get for their work, and continue to make their families and themselves proud.
Rogut dedicated the speech to a friend from Argentina she met at Davis through ORT in the seventh grade. The two became best friends, and Rogut visited her seven years after graduation in Buenos Aires while studying abroad in college. The friend died from leukemia three years ago, but Rogut said she will never forget the role Davis played in bringing the two women together.
“This place is always going to be a blessing in your lives,” Rogut said.
She also quoted Dr. Seuss: “You are off to great places, today is your day, your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.”
Photos by Sarah Moosazadeh
-
- (From left) Logan Bucovetsky, Harrison Frank, Hannah Ferrar, Evan Feintuch and Sam Durbin get excited for their Davis Academy graduation.
-
- Ava Stark and Jessie Schulhof share a goodbye hug before they leave for high school.
-
- (From left) Olivia Bercoon, Brandon Bohrer, Anna Baylin, Shelby Bercoon, Rachel Binderman, Hannah Ferrar and Sam Durbin prepare to walk out as part of the Davis Class of 2018.
-
- Alon Rogow and Nate Artzi share a post-graduation hug.
-
- Head of School Amy Shafron applauds the Class of 2018’s achievements.
-
- With the flip of their tassels, members of the Class of 2018 show that they are Davis Academy graduates.
Davis Class of 2018
The following are the 68 eighth-graders who graduated from the Davis Academy on Thursday, May 31.
Nate Artzi
Anna Baylin
Olivia Bercoon
Shelby Bercoon
Rachel Binderman
Brandon Bohrer
Asher Bressler
Logan Bucovetsky
Stuart Cohen
Ashley Costley
Samuel Durbin
Evan Feintuch
Hannah Ferrar
Sammy Finkelstein
Joshua Forman
Harrison Frank
Alexa Freedman
Jack Goldstein
Sarah Greenberg
Annalise Hardy
Amalia Haviv
Kady Herold
Rachel Hertz
Noah Hirschfield
Kaden Husney
Joshua Isaacs
Samuel Isaacs
Shoshana Katz
Margo Kaye
Daniel Kobrinsky
Veronica Kogan
Maya Laufer
Sydney Leahy
Andrew Levingston
Jordan Levy
Ezra Mahle
Max Martin
Matthew McCullough
Seth Meiselman
Daniel Menis
Mai Miller
Jacob Mirsky
Sophia Mokotoff
Gabrielle Murray
Alex Newberg
Jordan Palgon
Emma Perlstein
Sy Polekoff
Amit Rau
Matthew Richmond
Ellie Rifkin
Alon Rogow
Daniel Rosen
Alec Rosenberg
Jessica Schulhof
Zoe Shapiro
Eric Sherman
Jason Sherman
Brooke Stanley
Ava Stark
Lily Stark
Virginia Sullivan
Matthew Szabo
Datya Voloschin
Alexa Warner
Eli Weiser
Hailey Weiss
Sasha Wildstein
comments