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MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – When the Class of 2017.5 arrived on campus on February 5, 2014, snow was falling as a small, boisterous crew of upperclassmen welcomed them to the Axinn Center. On Saturday, four years later, the cold and cheering felt familiar, but the setting was dramatically different. The excited strangers who had arrived at Middlebury as first-year “Febs” now wore caps and gowns, a tight-knit group of friends celebrating the completion of their academic requirements and imagining their future.

At Mead Chapel, President Laurie Patton greeted the Feb class—and their equally enthusiastic family members—with a tradition she established her first year at Middlebury—a reading of Mary Oliver’s poem “Starlings in Winter.” Like the beautiful, explosive birds of Oliver’s poem, Patton told the graduates, “you have fragmented, come apart, and then become whole again. You wouldn’t be here with us, flying in leafless winter, if you had not struggled—if you had not come apart and then become whole again.” Patton highlighted some of the many achievements of the graduating seniors, asking them to reflect on their accomplishments especially during inevitable moments of self-doubt.

Watch highlights from the 2017.5 February Celebration.

The Class of 2017.5 includes 121 graduates—67 women and 54 men—representing 28 states and nine countries. More than half, Patton noted, had studied abroad and most had studied a foreign language at Middlebury, including 12 who attended the Summer Language Schools.

Anna Dennis ’17.5 gave the student address, drawing a literary metaphor about her time at Middlebury. The international politics and economics major from Denver, Colorado, said she arrived at Middlebury excited for a “plot-driven” life full of unexpected twists and turns. Over time, she was surprised to find herself drawn into a character-driven life, thanks to her remarkable classmates. “It was impossible for me to resist your influence,” she smiled, describing her fellow Febs as “the most intelligent, empathetic, confident, and passionate characters” she had ever encountered.

“Now, as a self-identified plot-driven devotée, this was intimidating at first, but then something amazing happened—I grew,” said Dennis. “And in that growth, I found the excitement and fulfillment that I had been seeking. You all pushed me towards self-awareness, new definitions of success, new expectations, and unrelenting excitement.”

historic symbol of Middlebury College, presented by Thomas Steinle ’84, vice president of the Middlebury Alumni Association. Class member Hannah Sobel led the gathering in singing the College Alma Mater. College Chaplain Laurie Jordan ’79 offered the benediction to conclude the Mead Chapel ceremony, with a recessional played by organist Jeffrey Buettner, associate professor of music.

Still wearing caps and gowns, graduates left the chapel and boarded school buses for the short trip to the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Hancock, where they participated in the traditional “ski-down.” On skis, snowboards, snowshoes, and some by foot, the graduates descended the Lang trail, crossing over to Cameron, which took them to the cheering crowd below.

The annual February Celebration is sponsored by Middlebury’s Alumni and Parent Programs Office. A student committee that included Lena Jacobs, Jessie Klinck, Lizzy Stears, Caroline Trowbridge, and Michelle Yang assisted with planning. All midyear graduates are encouraged to return in May to participate in the College commencement ceremony.