Duchesne Administration and Board of Trustees, 

As a member of the Class of 2022, I would like to keep our graduation on the White House lawn. Many of our Upper School experiences look different than those of years past due to COVID-19. However, the traditions of our Sacred Heart heritage filled us with hope and remained with us throughout difficult times. It would be heartbreaking for our class to lose another treasured Duchesne tradition that so many of us have been dreaming about since we stepped onto campus for the first time. We are not just asking for our graduation to be on the White House Lawn, we are fighting to keep a Duchesne tradition alive.

The White House Lawn is a treasured place of the Duchesne community. Not only is it where our greatest role models live, the nuns, it is also where we gather together. Many Conges, masses, dances, and community-building events have been held on the lawn. More than 60 years of memories have been made there. It connects the generations of Duchesne together. The first graduating class of Duchesne, the Class of 1964, graduated on the lawn underneath the oak tree. Since then all graduations have taken place there. In 2020, COVID-19 hit and changed all of the traditions we loved. We understand that graduation was moved to the field due to strict protocols in 2020, however, since then, Duchesne has returned to campus with mask-optional policies. There is no reason related to COVID-19 as to why our graduation cannot be on the lawn.

It will be the last time all of us are together for the rest of our lives. Although it is special to sit with our families, it is more special for all of us to sit together as the Class of 2022 for the last time. This is why we ask that the Duchesne graduation ceremony remains on the White House Lawn for the Class of 2022. It is a tradition worth keeping and celebrating. Let's keep it alive, together.

On behalf of the Class of 2022,

Bridget Anders

Senior Class President