It’s that time of year again for Dads and grads and I was asked what NBSS graduation was like. Since I was not able to attend this year’s ceremony in person I will have to post some pictures of what it was like when I graduated.
Like so many other activities at NBSS, graduation is another event with lots of history. The day starts out with a meet and greet at the School where students can show of some of the fruits of their labors. Then over to the adjacent Old North Church of Paul Revere fame for the graduation ceremony. You can feel the excitement in the air and sense the history as everyone packs into the church.
There are several speakers including school administration, the guest speaker, and the Distinguished Alumni Award winner, then it’s on to the diplomas and celebrations. Last year and again this year we had great weather.
Below is a gallery of some key moments from that day.
Next post, back to woodworking. 🙂
The Crew (L to R) Lee, Andy, Bill, Andrew, John
Pictures of student work from the year. In picture is me standing next to my senior project
Some great looking chairs on display by CFM students
Inside the historic Old North Church
Church alter and pulpit
Students and families filing in
My classmate Anne Jenkins
Classmate Johnathan Ericson
Box for Capt Robert Temple 1726
Nikki AIken and Erin DeLuca from Jewelry Making
View from where we were sitting in the PC box
John’s girlfriend Kate
Jay Knox getting everyone in line
My Mom, Dad, Stepmother, and my Wife watching from the Balcony
Dan from Bookbinding
In the very back row we can see the heads of Rich and Steve our instructors
Martin enjoying Claire’s speech
John O’Rourke proudly showing off his diploma
Me and Steve O’Shaughnessy the PC1 instructor and Dept Head
Me with Rich Friberg the PC2 Instructor and Patrick O’Shaughnessy the Carpentry Instructor
John and I with our Diplomas
The famous front door and clock at NBSS
Me taking a shot of the front door to the school
Me with Tommy Silva who came to visit the day before graduation
One of the many traditions at the North Bennet Street School is recognizing a distinguished member of the alumni community each year at the graduation ceremony. With so many talented individuals coming out of the school it is often hard to choose just one person, and this year was no exception. As part of the alumni council we each presented candidates from our own department(s) to the other members of the council and the school administration and at the end of the meeting took a vote.
This year I am happy to report that we have our first Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) winner from the Preservation Carpentry Department — Brent Hull.
Brent Hull (left) and Robert Adam (right)
Brent was part of the class of 1993 and studied under Robert Adam. After graduating he returned to his native Texas and started his own company. From a modest beginning working in his brother’s garage, and a lot of hard work, Brent went on to build the Hull group of companies, which now employs over 50 artisans and related staff. He runs a successful construction and consulting firm, is the exclusive millworks provider for the Winterthur museum, has restored historic courthouses in Texas and worked on many private residences including those of Barbara Streisand. Beyond the commercial success, Brent has also been a prolific writer in the field of traditional interior designs and moldings publishing several books on these topics. Brent also enjoys educating his customers and the general public via teaching forums on the merits of traditional design and craftsmanship.
Brent Hull Speaking to both PC Classes
The day before graduation, Brent stopped by the Arlington shop to speak with the PC ’12 and ’13 classes. He shared his thoughts on what he enjoyed most about the program, shared some hard learned lessons, tips on how to start a business and select customers and some guidance around areas students should learn more about after graduating.
Rich Friberg, Bill Rainford, Brent Hull, Robert Adam (left to right)
Above, second year instructor Rich Friberg PC’04, Bill Rainford PC’11, Brent Hull PC’93 and Robert Adam long time PC department head and founder of the program gather in the office to celebrate the day. Robert also shared some of his wisdom with the students and reminded those who are from outside of New England that it has been his experience that the further students get away from Boston the more successful they often are given the concentration of graduates in the immediate area. This was great news for many of our students from around the country and abroad who will be going home with a great set of skills.
Johnathan Ericson handing out his Attendance Awards / Scholarship. Accepting the award is Frank Di Francesco PC’12
Rounding out the afternoon, Johnathan Ericson PC’11 gave out the Attendance Awards / Scholarship that he started last year. It consists of a certificate and scholarship for those students who maintained a record of perfect attendance while a PC student. The message is clear — that hard work and dedication to show up each and every day is something that should be rewarded and will help new graduates when they get out into the field.
Congratulations to Brent and the PC Class of 2012 — you have a bright future ahead of you!
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