Augusta Prep graduates get advice from alumni

A regal air permeated the graduation ceremonies Sunday for Augusta Preparatory Day School.

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Typically played with just a piano, Pomp and Circumstance blared from a trumpet during the processional as 48 graduates clad in purple robes crossed Boardman Athletic Center -- decorated in purple drapes -- to a stage backlit in soft purple.

The scene seemed appropriate for a private school that often boasts that 100 percent of its graduates go on to attend four-year colleges or universities.

In his charge to the 2009 class, Augusta Prep Head of School Jack Hall sought the advice of former students getting ready to graduate from college.

Much of the advice doled out by alumni included getting involved in school activities, attending class, taking a wide variety of classes, developing good time-management skills, balancing work with fun and getting to know professors.

One alumna said it was important to develop a relationship with teachers, but she encouraged graduates to go one mischievous step beyond.

"Get in trouble once or twice," she said. "That's how you get to know your deans."

Augusta Prep Valedictorian Yutong Dong echoed those sentiments in his address.

"Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment," he said.

Dong opened his speech by equating himself and his classmates to pilot trainees getting ready for a solo flight.

"When we receive our diplomas, we will become the pilots of our own lives," he said.

Drug and alcohol awareness counselor Jeff Wolfsberg delivered the commencement address. He encouraged graduates to develop a strong work ethic, strive to become the best in their chosen field, but to not let outside influences determine their career path. He told them to find for themselves what it is that they love to do.

"I encourage you to be your own invention," he said.