Mount Madonna School (MMS) is pleased to announce Cassidy Caborn and Renata Massion as the 2015 senior class Co-Salutatorians. The students earned this distinction through hard work and focused effort, edging out their peers at the small Central Coast school known for strong academics, environmental education, performing arts and a competitive volleyball program. The 2015 high school graduation ceremony will commence at 9:30am on Thursday, June 12 at the school’s upper campus. Caborn lives in Soquel and will attend Chapman University and study dance.
‘High school is a spectacular journey to discover one’s self,’ reflected Caborn. ‘While attending Mount Madonna I have learned the wonders of travel and uncovered the importance of connections and relationships. I have discovered the universal connectedness that exists between everyone and feel inspired to continue to strengthen this connection as I continue on to the next stage of my life. I will forever hold tightly these values that I have developed through my experience at Mount Madonna.
‘I made my decision based upon the supportive community, beautiful environment, and the amazing dance department that I was accepted into at Chapman University,’ she added. ‘I will be majoring in dance, and will most likely end up double majoring. I am extremely excited about this new adventure, and can’t wait to see where my future takes me!’
Massion lives in Aptos and will attend Tulane University and study political economy and international development.‘While there were many colleges and universities that had everything I was looking for, I chose to attend Tulane University because of the emphasis the school puts on giving back to the community that supports it and the culture of giving that is saturated into the school,’ said Massion. ‘I have always felt passionate about using my time to help others, and Tulane will allow me to continue to grow that passion. Being New Orleans is a city that is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, there is ample space to grow and develop, and Tulane has a wide array of programs that connect students with local non-profits and volunteer organizations.’
‘The best advice I received in high school was when Emmanuel Ivorgba [founder of Creative Mind International Academy in Jos, Nigeria] came to speak to our Values In Word Thought class during my junior year. He said, ‘If you used ten percent of the information available to you, you would turn the sky to heaven.’ This really made me find an appreciation and gratitude for all of the things that I would usually take for granted such as being able to get such a wonderful education, or having a car to drive to school, or even having enough pencils to write with.
‘My fifth grade teacher, Sri Gyan James McCaughan, was a mentor to me because until that point, I believed that learning meant reading, writing and arithmetic. Sri taught me that learning isn’t necessarily restricted to the classroom. He made a huge effort to expose us to the outside world by taking us backpacking for a week and having us work on projects that allowed us to see what was happening in the world outside of the classroom.
“My high school history teacher, Matt Meachen, was also a mentor to me. He inspired me through being a baseball coach, and heading countless other projects, while still maintaining the ability to come into the classroom and be an amazing teacher. He taught me to really try my best in everything I do, because that is where the fulfillment in life comes from.’
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Photos by Maureen Pramanik
Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, Marketing and Communications,
Nestled among the redwoods on 355 mountaintop acres, Mount Madonna is a safe and nurturing college-preparatory school that supports students in becoming caring, self-aware and articulate critical thinkers, who are prepared to meet challenges with perseverance, creativity and integrity. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville.
