BWL Class of 2026 graduates with lessons in belonging and growth

Birch Wathen Lenox marked the graduation of 41 seniors on May 21 at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City, with speeches centered on community, resilience and the transition to college. The class also received individual honors and will head to more than 30 colleges and universities this fall.

Why it matters: - The Class of 2026 leaves Birch Wathen Lenox with more than diplomas. The school framed the group as a class shaped by belonging, ambition and growth. - The graduation also highlighted BWL’s role in college preparation, character development and community-building during a pivotal transition for seniors.

What happened: - Birch Wathen Lenox celebrated 41 graduates on Thursday, May 21, at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City. - Student speakers Jaevian Pardo ’26 and Dolcé Rehbein ’26 reflected on their experiences and the connections they built at BWL. - Graduation speaker Josh Bekenstein (BW ’76) addressed the class and urged graduates to give back. - Retiring faculty member Josh Russell delivered his final BWL graduation speech after 35 years at the school. - Head of School Bill Kuhn praised the class for leadership, resilience and empathy.

The details: - Dolcé Rehbein, a BWL student since kindergarten and co-president of the senior class, described her 13-year experience as a source of deep belonging. - Rehbein said ordinary parts of school life — hallway mornings, classroom traditions, dress code debates and friendships — became the most meaningful. - Rehbein described the BWL experience as “kaleidoscopic” and urged classmates to carry their connections forward. - Jaevian Pardo joined BWL as a freshman and said he arrived not knowing anyone. - Pardo said relationships, resilience and shared experiences taught lessons that went beyond academics. - Pardo credited advisors, teachers, staff and peers for making BWL a place where students are known and supported. - Pardo pointed to class trips, the senior retreat and everyday moments as part of the class’s bond. - Rehbein received the Book Prize for academic achievement, curiosity, leadership, citizenship and service. - Maia Salgado ’26 received the Faculty Prize for integrity, compassion and respect. - Bekenstein said his family sacrificed to send him to Birch Wathen and quoted President John F. Kennedy: “For of those to whom much is given, much is required.” - Bekenstein helped found Bain Capital in 1984 and served there as a partner until becoming Senior Advisory Partner in 2023. - Bekenstein chairs the Board of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and recently finished a term as Senior Trustee at Yale University. - Russell thanked students, faculty and staff for becoming his extended family and called BWL his second home. - Russell quoted Max Ehrmann’s Desiderata and said BWL had brought him immense happiness. - Kuhn told graduates that BWL prepared them academically and also as thoughtful, compassionate and engaged citizens. - Kuhn said the class lived out its self-identified values of belonging, ambition and growth through civic engagement, leadership, artistic expression, athletics, community service and advocacy. - The ceremony ended with families, friends, faculty and staff standing as caps flew into the air.

Between the lines: - The speeches point to a school culture that treats graduation as both an academic milestone and a values check-in. - The strongest theme in the program was not college placement alone, but the idea that students leave BWL with identity, community and confidence. - Russell’s farewell and Bekenstein’s remarks also connected the class to the school’s longer institutional story.

What's next: - The graduates will attend colleges and universities across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. this fall. - The list includes American University, Boston University, Bucknell University, Carleton University, Cornell University, Lehigh University, Northeastern University, Parsons School of Design, Smith College, Tulane University, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, the University of Southern California, the University of Virginia, Villanova University and Washington University in St. Louis. - Other destinations include College of Charleston, College of the Holy Cross, Drew University, Elon University, Franklin & Marshall College, George Mason University, London South Bank University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Savannah College of Art & Design, Skidmore College, St. John’s University, Syracuse University, University of Maryland, University of Texas at Austin and University of Wisconsin–Madison. - Boston University will enroll two BWL graduates. - BWL also held a National College Decision Day celebration earlier this spring to recognize the class’s next steps.

The bottom line: - BWL’s Class of 2026 exits as a large, tightly bonded group whose graduation centered on community, leadership and readiness for what comes next.