Sage Hill’s Class of 2025 prepared to charge ahead

Wilkins Town Square on the Sage Hill School campus was teeming Friday, June 6 with family, friends and faculty, all assembled to witness the 148 graduating seniors accept their diplomas from Head of School Patricia Merz.

“The person you are today is the result of not only your successes but how you responded when things did not go as expected,” Merz said in her address to the class. “...Unexpected moments will continue to shape your life. They are not something to fear but rather something to embrace and learn from. The lightning will strike you again. Sometimes it will startle you. Sometimes it will light the path ahead. And sometimes it will simply remind you that you are alive and capable of so much more than you imagined.”

Sage Hill receptionist Lisa Willett was chosen by the Class of 2025 as the staff speaker for their commencement on June 6.

(Courtesy of Sage Hill School)

The departing graduates have been accepted to 69 colleges or universities in 23 states, Washington, D.C. and the United Kingdom, according to school officials.

An elated Hannah Wegner leaves the podium area, her new diploma from Sage Hill School in hand, on Friday, June 6.

(Courtesy of Sage Hill School)

Irvine resident Fiori Lee and Courtney Tetteh-Martey of Newport Coast, deemed exceptional students who gave much to the school community during their time on campus, were announced as the recipients of the 2025 Head of the School award.

Courtney Tetteh-Martey, left, and Joy Sun line up before their Sage Hill School commencement on June 6.

(Courtesy of Sage Hill School)

Student speaker Anna Gabriel of Corona del Mar also addressed the crowd.

“The truth is, the best parts of life — the ones you carry with you — are never the easy ones,” Gabriel told her classmates. “They’re the ones that ask something from you. Your time, your heart, your courage.”

Kevin Peng, from left, Evan White and Vihaan Jacob celebrate after their commencement on June 6.

(Courtesy of Sage Hill School)

Student Council President Fiori Lee was given the honor of ringing the school gong, a Sage Hill tradition, which was followed by the release of celebratory green and white confetti.

—Daily Pilot Staff