Friday, May 9th featured a lively Williston tradition: Senior Dinner. The Class of 2014, garbed in semi-formal attire and joined by faculty, staff, and members of the Board of Trustees filed into the Birch Dining Commons for a social diner accompanied by several speakers and a musical interlude of “Sammy.”

The evening was headlined by a speech by Paul Rutherford, who was elected for Senior Dinner speaker by a SurveyMonkey poll sent out on Friday, April 18th. Drawing on his scientific perspective on his life experiences, Mr. Rutherford spoke in proven axioms such as “don’t eat yellow snow,” most notably. Keeping the speech both light and poignant, he discussed his path towards Williston under the understanding that, he said, “you probably won’t remember anything I’m about to say.”

The speech was well-received by the student body, drawing uproarious laughter when Mr. Rutherford dispelled rumors about his dating life as well as a standing ovation at its conclusion. Senior Olivia Milne said that “it was a very good balance of nostalgia, humor, [and] life advice,” and that the speech was “something that relates to us as seniors, and seniors at a prep school.” Milne was particularly pleased that “it wasn’t all one genre, which [she] thought was perfect.”

Senior Lyra Sior agreed, stating that “it was a perfect addition to a lovely evening,” and that “his speech had just the right mixture of humor and sentimentality.” When asked what about the speech was particularly resonant with her, Sior added that “the stories he told made me realize just how close my future is creeping towards the present and how thankful I am for the time I’ve had at Williston.”

The night began at 5:45pm when seniors gathered in the Chapel for a group photograph in their semi-formal attire. They met up with faculty, staff, and trustees in the Birch Dining Commons before sitting down for dinner and presentations by Ms. Noble, Director of Alumni Relations Jeff Pilgrim, Maddy Stern, Mr. Hill, and several others.

Trustees were seated at several tables alongside current Williston students where they were able to get to know the latest generation of seniors. Special recognition was given to Richard Shields of Lee, Massachusetts, who is leaving the Board of Trustees this year after over a decade of service. Mr. Shields was seated at Table 3 in front of the podium and was given a round of applause for his service to the school.

After the speeches, the first annual Williston Class Flag was presented by senior Nell Heidinger, who submitted the proposal for a Williston design competition. The flag featured the Reed Campus Center as well as the class year and the Williston landscape. During Commencement, the flag will be carried out to celebrate the graduating class.

As the night came to a close, Mr. Hill invited all students to return to the Headmaster’s House with him for dessert, which included chocolate covered strawberries, coffee, and numerous baked pastries. On the porch and in the living room, seniors ate, talked, and posed for photographs together, donning their new Williston lapel pins and sunglasses. That Friday marked sixteen days until the seniors would gather on the Quad one last time to receive their diplomas and to become alumni.