We are pleased to share a recap of our 149th Commencement and celebrations for the Class of 2024!

149th Commencement
Saturday, May 25, 2024

Cushing Academy had a tremendous send-off for Class of 2024. We hope you will join us in reliving the celebration through photos and video below!

Commencement Speaker: Tim Ryan  P’23, ’27

Tim Ryan P'23, '27, Senior Partner at PwC US, one of the leading professional services firms in the world, is Cushing Academy's 2024 Commencement speaker. 

With over 35 years of diversified experience serving clients across the globe, Tim is a forward-thinking leader committed to driving human-led, tech-powered outcomes to build trust in society and solve important problems. He has reimagined PwC for the modern era, leading a complete digital transformation and launching a bold new strategy – The New Equation – to get ahead of the rapid pace of change in the industry and founded PwC’s Trust Leadership Institute to equip tomorrow’s C-suite leaders with the trust-based skills needed to operate in a complex world.

Identifying a need for more explicit conversations around diversity and inclusion in business, in 2017 Tim co-founded CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™– the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, with 2,400 signatory organizations – as well as CEO Action for Racial Equity to promote scalable, sustainable policies and corporate best practices to address systemic racism and social injustice.

Tim is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Brookings Institution and the Financial Accounting Foundation, where he is Co-Chair of its Standard-Setting Process Oversight Committee. He is also Chair of the Center for Audit Quality’s (CAQ) Governing Board, a non-partisan, non-profit group dedicated to enhancing investor confidence and public trust in the global capital markets.

He is a thought leader and mentor to fellow CEOs, sharing frequent insights on complex issues affecting businesses, community and the betterment of society in the New York Times, Washington Post, Fortune, Harvard Business Review and his LinkedIn newsletter Talking Trust.

Raised in Boston, Tim learned early leadership lessons when he started his first job at age 14 as a grocery store stocker. He joined PwC after graduating from Babson College. He is a certified public accountant in Massachusetts and New York and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Tim is a runner and proud father of six children, including two Penguins, Jamie ’23 and Luke ’27.

Graduation Weekend Schedule

Friday, May 24, 2024

• 3:30 pm - Awards Ceremony and Cum Laude Recognition (Tent on Drew Common)
  Most department and academic awards—excluding valedictorian, salutatorian, and a few community and academic awards—will be presented at this ceremony. All parents and guests are welcome to attend. If your son or daughter will be receiving an award, you will be notified in advance by the Academic Office. This event will be livestreamed.
  
  Immediately following the Awards Ceremony, students will participate in the annual All-School Handshake on Quimby Field.
• 6:00-7:30 pm - Graduation Dinner for Class of 2024 and Parents (Fisher-Watkins Dining Commons)
  Seating is limited; an RSVP invitation will be sent to graduate families via email.

Saturday, May 25, 2024

• 8:00-9:30 am - Breakfast (Fisher-Watkins Dining Commons)
  All guests are welcome.
• 10:00 am - Graduation Exercises (Tent on Drew Common)
  While there is open seating in the tent, there is a special reserved front section for parents. Each graduate will receive two reserved seats in this section. The location of your family’s two seats is determined by lottery, and you will receive the location upon arrival at the tent. All other guests in your party are welcome to find seats of their choosing in the non-reserved areas of the tent.
• 11:30 am-1:30 pm - Luncheon
  All guests are welcome to enjoy lunch following the ceremony.
• Departure from Campus
  Seniors and their families depart campus following the luncheon, no later than 3:00 pm. Underclass students remain on campus for final exams.

Please Note: This is a placeholder schedule. Events and timing are subject to change. The program for Commencement will be finalized before invitations are sent out.

Additional Commencement Notes

Reserved and General Seating
Each graduate has two reserved seats for Commencement, which require checking in at the table by the entrance to the tent (opposite Carlisle Hall). 

All other family members and guests can proceed to the general seating area and select any available, unmarked seat. Please find your open seats promptly and avoid congregating around the check-in table.

Please get in touch with Colleen Fay at [email protected] or (978)827-7300 for questions regarding your seating.

Parking
On graduation day, all road access to the interior of our campus will be blocked. Parking will be directed to the baseball field (Adams Field), and golf carts and air-conditioned buses will be available to shuttle visitors to and from the event tent.

If members of your party have mobility issues, please get in touch with Colleen Fay at [email protected] or (978)827-7300 and we will give your party access to limited parking in the admissions parking lot.

Breakfast + Luncheon
All guests to commencement are invited to join us for breakfast and a celebratory luncheon. Breakfast will be served in the Fisher-Watkins Dining Commons from 8:00 to 9:30 am. Lunch will be available immediately following graduation exercises, from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm.

Departure from Campus
Graduates and their families should say their final goodbyes and check out of their dorm rooms by 3:00 pm.

Invitations

Cushing provides each student with printed invitations to send to family and friends. Parents will receive an invitation directly from the Academy in the mail.

Student Attire for Graduation

Cushing will provide each student with academic regalia, consisting of a cap and gown, for the Commencement ceremony to accompany the student’s special academic dress attire. Students are not permitted to substitute any academic regalia for what is provided by Cushing.

All students are expected to dress for Commencement and other end-of-year ceremonies in accordance with the Special Academic Dress policy of Cushing Academy’s Community Handbook.
 

Lodging

If you require an overnight stay in the area before Commencement, we suggest that you secure a reservation soon. Please be aware that there is limited hotel availability in the area. 

Hotels

The Colonial Hotel
625 Betty Spring Road
Gardner, MA 01440
978.630.2500
(6.5 miles)

Great Wolf Lodge
150 Great Wolf Drive
Fitchburg, MA 01420
978.343.9653
(9 miles)

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
99 Erdman Way, 
Leominster, MA 01453
978.534.9000
(14 miles)

Springhill Suites by Marriott – Devens Commons Center
27 Andrews Parkway
Devens, MA
978.772.3030
(23 miles)
 

Inns and Bed and Breakfasts

The Maguire House
30 Cobb Rd.
Ashburnham, MA01430
978.827.5053   
(1.5 miles)

The Monadnock Inn
379 Main Street
Jaffrey, NH 03452
603.532.7800
(20 miles)

Additional Questions?

Please contact Colleen Fay, Executive Assistant to the Head of School, at (978) 827-7102 or [email protected] if you have any questions or special accommodation needs.