Hat's off to the Harvey School Class of 2026

Harvey School Class of 2026 tosses their caps at their June 4 commencement. GABE PALACIO PHOTOS

By LOGAN KREISBERG

Jordan Falk of Katonah receives his diploma from Head of Upper School Phil Lazzaro.

Eli Klagsbrun of Katonah was cited for his scholarship.

Acknowledging his classmates' applause.

Grads Molly Weisberger and Elena Pagan are all smiles after the ceremony.

Middle row from left: Sara Strnad, Summer Jarbath, Maeve Lazzaro and Peyton Forde give each other a warm embrace.

Poet and professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Dan Schonning, a 2012 Harvey graduate, was the commencement speaker.

Sara Strnad's valedictory speech  emphasized that for her and her classmates "high school wasn't a solo mission."

The 85 members of The Harvey School’s Class of 2026 donned caps and gowns on June 4, becoming the area’s newest high school graduates. 

Family, friends, trustees and faculty packed the Fenstermacher Athletic Center on Harvey’s campus for the commencement. 

The ceremony served as the capstone to a series of senior traditions, including Senior Sunset, Senior Breakfast and Commencement Dinner. 

It began with the graduating class walking into the building accompanied by pipe major Jonathan Henken’s rendition of “Earl of Mansfield.” Harvey’s Upper School Chorus then performed “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“For the past few years, Harvey has been your home, a place where you’ve learned both to work hard and embrace community,” Head of School William Knauer stated in his opening remarks. “As you prepare to leave here, I encourage you to set a good enough standard for little things. Save your energy for the truly big things that lie ahead.” 

Knauer welcomed the Upper School Chamber Chorus to the stage for a performance of “Landslide” by Stevie Nicks, a composition arranged by graduate Delilah Hickson-Bilotta. 

A poet's address

Poet and Hobart and William Smith Colleges professor, Daniel Schonning, delivered the commencement address. A member of Harvey’s Class of 2012, Schonning drew on his own experiences as a student to connect with this year’s graduates. He joked that some graduates might already be thinking about when to place their orders for a “Cluckin’ Russian” at Cameron’s Deli. 

Schonning encouraged the graduates to embrace creativity and become “makers” in their own lives. 

“I wish for you passion and wonder. I wish for you failure and redemption. I wish for you forgiveness,” Schonning said. “With the work of your hands and mind, manage to build a life in the miraculous, made place of now.” 

Senior awards

The ceremony also featured the presentation of senior awards in academics, arts and athletics. 

Maeve Lazzaro received the Founders Honor Cup, the school’s highest student honor. Established in memory of founders Herbert and Mabel Carter and their son, Herbert Swift Carter Jr., the award recognizes the student who best exemplifies the school's values. According to Head of Upper School Philip Lazzaro, the recipient is selected by faculty vote as the student who has contributed most to “the spirit and aims of the school.” 

One by one, members of the Class of 2026 crossed the stage to receive their diplomas. Following the conferral of the final diploma, graduates shifted their tassels from right to left and launched their caps into the air. 

Exiting the athletic center and walking through a tunnel of faculty, graduates greeted friends and family on the quad for the first time as Harvey alumni.

Logan Kriesberg, Harvey School Class of 2026, is a summer intern at The Recorder.