Priory grads hear lessons from a pro: Steve Young Priory grads hear lessons from a pro: Steve Young (July 06, 2005)

Woodside Priory School celebrated its graduation of the Class of 2005 with an outdoor ceremony May 26 that began with the traditional procession led by bagpipers, the graduates in black caps and gowns, and then the gowned faculty. It concluded with a reception for grads and guests in the gym.

Steve Young, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and supporter of many charitable youth organizations, gave the graduation speech. He brought along his 4-year-old son who sat with him on the podium.

Mr. Young told the graduates about two great lessons he took from football.

First, when you mess up, people don't care about your reasons. Just say you did, you are sorry, and explain what you will do next to make it right, he said.

Second, have faith that you can do what you can't yet see. He used a football metaphor of learning to "throw blind" to a receiver that he knew was there, but who was blocked from view by some very large player on the other team.

Reminding the seniors to keep things in perspective, he related a story about being at the head of a parade on Disneyland's Main Street, sharing a float with Jerry Rice and Mickey Mouse. The parade was to celebrate the pinnacle of Rice and Young's professional success. But to two little boys watching from the sidelines, the exciting figure was the one with the big ears.

"Let's go see him!" one shouted. The other one held him by the shirt. "Don't bother -- those big guys won't let you near him," he said.

Speakers, awards

Student speakers were Inga Diederich of Woodside and Jesse Lampert of Portola Valley.

This year, four seniors tied for the highest grade-point average and shared class valedictorian honors. They are Timothy Kovachy, Jesse Lampert, Susan Lyon and Daniel Wenger.

During an awards' presentation, Laura Trudelle received the school's highest honor, the Saint Benedict Award. It is given by the faculty to the student who best personifies the ideals presented in the Rule of Saint Benedict, the key tenet of the Benedictine college preparatory school.
Graduates

Following are Woodside Priory School graduates. An asterisk (*) after the name means student graduated with honors.

A-C
Benjamin James Archer, Westley Taylor Bennicas, Tessa Elizabeth Berman*, Elizabeth Diane Bohley, Jason Daniel Buenrostro, Nathaniel Craig Coombs, Benjamin Samuel Corman, Adriana Costello-Dougherty*

D-I
Jennifer Adele Dhaliwal*, Inga Kim Diederich*, Julia Lee Cardwell Duncan, Thomas Andrew Flint*, Lauren Marie Frasch*, Jocelyn Gamburd*, Peter Stefano Giovannotto, Elaine Kathryn Haegele*, Sean David Harris, Lauren Rachelle Hecht*, Woodson Morris Hobbs V, Kieran Thane Howard*

J-L
Helene Elizabeth Jernick, Byung Hwa Kim*, Timothy Light Kovachy*, Yong Uk Kwon, , Kyung Gi Do, Jonathan Edmund Kwong, Jesse William Lampert*, Michael Hyun Jean Lee*, Ruben Johannes Marie Lemmens, Katie Michelle Lewine, Brianna Virginia Lewke, Michael Pei-Ming Lo, Susan Elizabeth Lyon*

M-P
Brian Morgan Mansoor, Kyle Lawrence Kritzik McAuley*, Theodore Andrew McIntosh, Jessamine Mairi McLellan, Guillermo Francisco Reyes Mendoza*, Carlos Olin Montalvo III, Leilani Cruz Novotny, Alexander Wendel Piper, Alexander Mehta Pistritto, Elisabeth Maslin Powell

R- S
Allyssa Renee Rapp, Rebecca Diane Rappaport, Sara Emily Rappaport, Stephanie Kathleen Schultz, Francys Meredith Scott*, Tyler Carter Skinner-Rosenberg*, Cynthia Elisabeth Sleight*, Charles Frederick Soong

T-Z
Edward Schmidt Tabacco, Jordan Elizabeth Robbins Tiffany, Laura Gabriella Trudelle*, Tania Valetsky, Mark Triest Waylonis, Daniel Paul Wenger*, Fu-Yen Yang, Humphrey Wil-An Yang, Bret William Yerkovich and Wik Aric Yip.

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