Yesterday, the 144 graduating members of the class of 2025 attended the Baccalaureate Service and the Senior Supper, marking the beginning of their final week as students at Charlotte Latin School.

The Baccalaureate, held for the first time on the Latin campus, was in Thies Auditorium. (The Charlotte Latin campus was open after Friday’s water main break on Raintree Road.) The Baccalaureate Service included remarks from class valedictorian Natalie Gaslin and class salutatorian Adam Stone, a responsive reading from the Jewish tradition led by Charles Kenneth Sidman, a reading from the Christian tradition by Mallory Morgan and Sydney Query, a moment of reflection from Katherine Burke, and a performance by the Upper School Concert Choir.

Upper School English Teacher Melissa Barger delivered the faculty reflection, telling the students, “As you step out from the covered walkways and forward into whatever comes next, I encourage you to honor your humanity, embrace the unknown, and never underestimate the power of vulnerability.”

Walking across campus to the Beck Student Activities Center, the seniors sat down for the Senior Supper with their families. In his remarks, Head of School Charles Baldecchi praised the class for its collective restraint: “You are a class known for your keen intellect, thoughtfulness and silence! Yes, you are a quiet class and that is just fine. It is better to be known for your actions instead of your words. You don’t draw attention to yourself for praise; instead you quietly go about the work and get the job done.”

Baldecchi then announced the 2025 Head’s Quest for Character Awards, established in 2002 by Headmaster Emeritus Arch McIntosh and voted on by the seniors themselves. The awards honor and recognize six seniors who exemplify each of Latin’s six Core Values.

Evy Linker received the Quest for Character Award for “Honor Above All.” As one fellow student said, “she knows the value of hard work and how to weave honor into everything she does without force or overbearing emotion.”

“She gives her time, maintains admirable character, leads with grace, and is held in the highest regard by her peers,” Baldecchi said of Stella Burke, who was honored with the Quest for Character Award for “Commitment to Excellence.”

The Quest for Character “Thies Leadership” Award went to Tyler McAndrews, who was described by his classmates as an “inspiring person to be around” and as “radiating positivity.”

“This student interacts with others in a respectful and caring manner, even if you’re someone that he’s never met,” Baldecchi said of Syan Gulati, the recipient of the Quest for Character Award for “Respect for Oneself and Others.”

Sydney Query received the Quest for Character Award for “Personal Responsibility.” As Baldecchi said, “She believes that being an active member of the Latin community is a responsibility that everyone should take seriously and models this through volunteering, service work, athletics, and an incredible moral compass.”

And the Quest for Character Award for “Moral Courage” went to Alex Bean, who Baldecchi reported was described her peers as “loyal, kind, transparent, honest, mature, and self-aware.”

Baldecchi also honored the 49 Latin Lifers in the Class of 2025, who joined Charlotte Latin School in Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten and have been classmates since then. He reminded them of the trends that were new back in 2013, when they were kindergarteners together: Duck Dynasty, Candy Crush, and selfies. “Graduation has a way of opening the door to reflection,” he told them. “Just as you seniors are walking down memory lane, we parents will be doing the same. We will no sooner forget your first day of school than we will this last.”

The evening also included a blessing from class president Charlie Sidman, a gift to the senior class’s advisors (Haley Cripps, Caroline Cuellar, and Chris Downing) presented by class vice president Stella Burke, and a video montage of the exploits of the class of 2025.

Baldecchi concluded his speech by exhorting the seniors to make the world a better place: “Class of 2025, I charge you to be illuminators in the world and carry with you Latin’s motto Inlustrate Orbem, ‘Enlighten the World.’ Enjoy the journey of life and remember that you have the courage and character to bring light into the world!”