KUA Celebrates Graduating Class of 2025

The ceremony, which took place on the quad of the school’s Meriden, New Hampshire campus, celebrated the achievements of this year’s graduating seniors, hailing from 20 states and six countries. This year’s ceremony also celebrated World Languages Department Chair Scribner Fauver P’09, ’12, who retired from KUA after 33 years in the classroom. Fauver taught his final class earlier in the week but offered one more lesson during a heart-felt Commencement Address.

“Don’t listen to the people who complain that today’s youth are too this or not enough that,” said Fauver, who was awarded an honorary degree as is customary for retiring faculty members with more than 25 years of service to KUA. “Everyone at every age is a work in progress. You guys are right where you should be. But, and this is important, you aren’t any better than anyone else. You are perfectly imperfect. We all are.”

Graduates, and the hundreds gathered to support them, also heard from valedictorian Isobel Bent ’25, a Global Scholar, Cullman Scholarship winner, and member of the girls’ varsity tennis team. KUA’s valedictorian designation honors the individual who typically holds the highest academic record in the class. 

Bent, a resident of Lebanon, New Hampshire, who will attend Carnegie Mellon University in the fall, reminded her peers of the many challenges and triumphs they faced together during their time on The Hilltop.

“To my classmates, thank you so much,” Bent said after during her valedictory address. “I am so proud of everything we’ve accomplished these past four years. But none of it happened on our own. So, thank your parents, thank your teachers, thank your friends and classmates, and most of all, thank yourself. You’ve worked so hard to get here.”

Fellow graduate Bleyton Hopps-Thompson ’25 addressed his peers as this year’s Senior Class Speaker, a designation entrusted to him by his fellow classmates. A native of Akwesasne, New York, and member of KUA’s varsity lacrosse and hockey teams, Hopps-Thompson will attend Lehigh University in the fall.

“This place means so much more to me than I’d ever imagined,” Hopps-Thompson said before thanking his fellow graduates. “You’ve been my teammates on the field, my partners in class, and my friends in life. We’ve grown together, challenged each other, and had each other’s backs. I will be forever grateful of my time here.”

Saturday’s Commencement ceremony also honored the life of Macy May Piersiak ’25, a member of the Class of 2025 who died tragically last fall. Graduates and faculty wore pink roses in memory of Piersiak, who was posthumously bestowed the Class of 1920 Award, given by the class to one classmate, who in their opinion, represents our shared Kimball Union values and who personifies how they would like their class to be remembered.

“Every member of this community, if they knew Macy, or to the extent that they knew Macy, would have no problem admiring or pointing to the light that radiated from her and lifted the hearts and spirits of any and all who came into contact with her,” Head of School Tyler Lewis P’28 said. “There is no question that this class will always carry the collective spirit of their friend and classmate.”

Click here for photos from this year’s ceremony.

The following graduating seniors earned 2025 Commencement awards:

Valedictorian
Isobel Bent ’25

Salutatorians
Brynn Garg ’25
Angus Spence ’25

Henry Mann Silver Award
Bleyton Hopps-Thompson ’25
Alexander Hoyt ’25
Stella Kozak ’25

Class of 1895 Award
Brynn Garg ’25

Royal Burnham Townsend Award
Brodie Muyskens ’25

The Porter Award
Stella Kozak ’25

The Charles Alden Tracy Award
Jason Chen ’25

The Class of 1920 Award
Macy May Piersiak ’25