The Iconic Class of 2025

Under a perfect blue sky, Marlborough School celebrated its 133rd Commencement on Thursday, May 29, 2025. The Class of 2025, radiant in their white dresses, suits, and caps and gowns, crossed the stage erected on the beautifully decorated Booth Field surrounded by thousands of family members, friends, faculty, and staff who gathered to honor their achievements.

The Class of 2025’s class colors adorned the ceremony, with pops of forest green, navy blue, and blush pink creating an elegant backdrop to welcome 111 new graduates into Marlborough’s community of over 4,000 living alumnae. Board Chair and alumna Missy Mingst Kolsky ’87 opened the ceremony by reminding graduates of their potential: “History reminds us that every breakthrough, every revolution started out small. One spark. One voice. One idea that dared to say: ‘Let’s make it happen.’” She encouraged graduates to remember that “the world needs each and every one of you—exactly as you are.”

A Class that Redefined Excellence
Head of School Jennifer Ciccarelli captured the essence of this remarkable class in her remarks, noting that “every so often, a class comes around that is—to put it simply—special. And you, Class of 2025, are that class.”

Early in their Upper School career, the graduates had set the intention to be seen by the community as “iconic”—a goal they achieved through their consistent commitment to their community and thoughtful inclusion. They also earned an unprecedented three consecutive Spirit Week dance-off victories, an accomplishment they deservedly celebrated loudly and often.

“What you created each year in our gym was more than choreography and impressive formations,” Ms. Ciccarelli observed. “It was a perfect metaphor for who you are as a class and the legacy you leave behind.” 

Ms. Ciccarelli drew a powerful parallel between the class’s dance success and their approach to life, explaining that “in dance, as in life, we often see a tension between individual excellence and collective harmony. Each dancer has to fully commit to their role, mastering the movements with precision. Yet the true magic emerges only when those individual efforts blend together to create a unified whole.”

She emphasized how the class had mastered this delicate balance, noting their “rare wisdom to know when to defer to those who know more” and their understanding of “when to step forward and when to step back, when to lead and when to follow.” What made their dances so effective, Ms. Ciccarelli explained, “wasn't unnecessarily complicated choreography—it was your ability to program so that everyone could participate,” demonstrating “an inherent understanding that impressive results don't require overly intricate individual moves; they require thoughtful inclusion and collective commitment to creating something together.”

Student Leadership and Reflection
Senior Class President Sasha B. ’25 took the podium and reflected on her journey from an anxious 7th grader searching for her place to eventually finding her true home at Marlborough. “Over the years, I stopped trying to create a home and started realizing I was already living in one,” she shared. “From the teachers who saw potential in me before I saw it in myself, to the friends who’ve become family... Marlborough became more than just a school. It became my world.”

Speaking about the artifacts that filled their Senior Lounge—“glow sticks from Spirit Week, Polaroids scattered across the bulletin board, guitars leaning in corners, records stacked carelessly”—Sasha noted that to the Seniors, it’s a meaningful chaos. “They are artifacts of our journey together, physical reminders of the memories we have created.” She concluded with gratitude: “I arrived in 7th Grade terrified and unprepared. Ironically, I stand before you today still scared about what comes next, but with one crucial difference: I now have a second home and a family of 111.”

All-School President Taryn A. ’25 echoed Sasha’s gratitude, drawing parallels between their class experience and a “supercut”—describing how the “central theme to the Class of 2025’s supercut is that no matter what we do, we do it together.” She highlighted the class’s collaborative spirit through thoughtful examples: “We grabbed pom poms to cheer on the new students as they walked through the front gate on the first day of school. We helped make Marlborough's first 'senior haunted house' the day before November 1, in the heat of college deadlines. In lieu of a senior prank, we hosted a dance party for the whole school in the gym as our senior surprise.”

Taryn emphasized the class’s unique approach to leadership, underscoring how they could be so successful in all their endeavors. “Class of 2025, you lead with the idea that support is more important than competition,” Taryn gushed. “I have seen us be there for each other even when we aren’t there for ourselves.” She concluded by reflecting on their lasting bond: “Being here, sitting next to the people who will change the world one day, and being a member of the Class of 2025 will always be the best supercut and one you can always reach for.”

Musical Traditions
Serving as an interlude between phenomenal speakers, Marlborough’s Commencement also featured performances by Chamber Choir and Concert Choir under the direction of Angela Lin. The choirs performed the traditional Irish Blessing, wishing the graduating Seniors well on the next steps of their journey. The five Class of 2025 members of Chamber Choir then performed a piece they selected specifically to honor their graduation: “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane.

Academic Excellence and Purpose
When Valedictorian Margalit S. ’25 stepped up to the microphone, she spoke about finding joy in learning and the increased importance of critical thinking during uncertain times. Quoting author bell hooks’ words, she said, “The ability to be awed, excited, and inspired by ideas is a practice that radically opens the mind.” Margalit emphasized how Marlborough’s embrace of critical questioning prepared the graduates to “think for ourselves and to challenge conventional wisdom.”

Margalit shared how her understanding of learning evolved during her time at Marlborough, recounting memorable moments of growth: from initially viewing grammar as merely “SAT sections” until a teacher showed her it was “not petty rules but a way to engage the world, a puzzle to solve, and a path to get my message across,” to discovering in her Senior Seminar on race theory that “there is no one right answer, that embracing disagreement and discomfort gets us further than acceptance of a singular solution ever would.” She concluded with hope for her generation: “Thanks to our time here, we graduate with the courage to think and act in a world increasingly characterized by dogmatism and apathy. Just as the Class of 2025 has made Marlborough so, so much brighter, I know that you all bring the world so much hope just by stepping out into it.”

Looking Forward
After being awarded their diplomas and crossing the stage one by one to cheers and applause from everyone in attendance, the newly minted graduates looked out across the gathered crowd. They proudly carry forward the School’s traditions of excellence, service, and sisterhood. Ms. Ciccarelli’s closing words captured the community’s collective pride and excitement: “Whatever stages await you, dance on with the same grace, collaboration, joy, and confidence that has defined your time here. Continue to break the mold. Continue to be iconic.”

As the ceremony drew to a close, the graduates stood to sing their Class Song together one final time. “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros rang out across Booth Field, complete with kazoo accompaniment and tearful faces. Then, the entire community stood together to sing the Alma Mater and the graduates tossed their caps, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of countless new adventures for Marlborough’s newest alumnae.