Commencement
Saturday, May 23, 2015 • 10:00 a.m.
East Lawn
Invitations & Attendance
An invitation to Commencement is not necessary to attend, however, Commencement invitations are available in the Reception Office at Rich Hall if you would like to send to familiy and friends. Since Commencement is held outdoors in a tent, there is no limit to the number of guests you can invite. Visit our Accommodations page for discounted rates at local hotels.
Attendance at Commencement is mandatory for all Upper School students.
Timeline for Saturday, May 23, 2015
- Students will meet at 9:00 a.m. sharp at Smith Hall
- Class portrait will occur at 9:15 a.m.
- Stone Ceremony will be at 10:00 a.m. with Commencement to follow
- A light lunch will be served in Lak Dining Hall from noon to 2:00 p.m. after Commencement for all guests and guests of honor.
Guest Parking
Guest parking will be open on Main Street at Winchester Field or the Athletic Center parking lot. Handicap-only parking will be available on Mountain Road. Refer to the printable campus map for clarification.
Dress Expectations
For the Commencement ceremony on Saturday, we ask girls to wear white dresses (skirts and tops are acceptable) and boys to wear white pants, white shirts, red ties (provided by the Academy), and WMA blazers (with crest). Girls will be carrying red roses and boys will have red carnations for their lapels.
Class of 2015 Stones
The unique tradition of the Alumni Wall was established in 1947 by members of the graduating class who wanted to leave their mark on this campus. Every year since that time, students have placed their stones on the wall just before they graduate from the Academy. Placing a stone on the Alumni Wall is an important part of becoming a WMA alumnus/a and a major part of our Commencement experience. All students in the graduating class are expected to take part in the procession and place a stone on the wall.
Commencement Speaker
Dr. Mark Keroack '72
President & CEO, Baystate Health
President & CEO, Baystate Medical Center
Chair, Board of Directors, Health New England
Dr. Keroack provides strategic, financial, and operational oversight for all services at Baystate Health and its subsidiary health plan, Health New England. The clinical delivery system includes Baystate Medical Center, the tertiary care academic medical center for western Mass, three community hospitals in Greenfield, Palmer, and Ware, Baystate Medical Practices, with its 600 providers in 75 practices across the region, Baystate’s research and educational programs, the Baystate VNA and Hospice, and several other subsidiaries and joint ventures. Prior to his current role, Dr. Keroack served as system chief operating officer from April of 2013 through June of 2014 and as chief physician executive and president, Baystate Medical Practices from June 2011 through April 2013.
Dr. Keroack came to Baystate Health from University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) in Oak Brook, Illinois where he served as senior vice president and chief medical officer. At UHC, a national alliance of 112 academic medical centers, he oversaw programs for clinical and operational performance improvement, faculty group practice management and patient safety. He is the co-creator of the Faculty Practice Solutions Center database and the UHC Patient Safety Net adverse event reporting system. He also led UHC’s research to define the leadership and management practices associated with top organizational performance in quality care.
Prior to his national work, Dr. Keroack served on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts for 12 years. During that time, he focused on HIV and AIDS care and won five annual teaching awards. Beginning in 1995, Dr. Keroack took on a more administrative role, serving as the first president of the 700-physician UMass Memorial Medical Group and the vice president of Medical Management for UMass Memorial Health Care. He has authored over 50 publications.
Dr. Keroack is a graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Medical School and received his MPH from Boston University. He trained in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass. He is married to Dr. Annmarie Errichetti, CEO of St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, NY. They have two grown daughters now living in Clinton, MA and Burlington, VT.
