Sixty-seven teens who graduated from high school with the kind of honors and accomplishments that made their families proud and helped them gain admission to Stanford, Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins and the like were presented at the 2009 Bal de Ballet.
The honorees — 40 debutantes and 27 Young Men of Distinction — were introduced at Boettcher Concert Hall by master of ceremonies Toby Cole and they then rode in horse-drawn carriages to the Sheraton Denver Hotel for dinner and dancing.
The debutantes included three sets of twins — Eleanor and Natalie Hackstaff, Annie and Hannah Scott and Christie and Lauren YoungSmith — plus Mary Astuno, Lindsey Bell, Victoria Blackstock, Anjelica Bosboom, Brittany Bowlen, Alison Dehncke, Erica Dunn, Nell Erzinger, Mary Gallagher, Sarah Gleichenhaus, Kathleen Hickey, Kathryn Kennedy, Paige Lasley, Virginia Lichty, Amanda Marsh, Mary-Taylor Martin, Erinn May, Kelly McGuckin, Alexandra Medved, Melissa Meers, Hartley Mellick, Haley Mirr, Nyla Nasser, Katarina Niparko, Brooke O’Neal, Nicole Rakowich, Carlyn Read, Sarah Rich, Anne Riggs, Sarah Terry, Nicole Wissmann, Hannah Wolach, Mackenzie Worley and Emily Wurtzbacher.
The Young Men of Distinction wereThomas Bealer, Conor Brennan, Frazier Cavness, Andrew Cryer, Kendall Early, William Hartman, Conor Hegedus, Christopher Hoffman, Taylor Johnson, Christopher Joondeph, Connor Klein, James Kreidle, Peter Kucera, John Lantz, Matthew Laurnen, Max Maulitz, Patrick Murray, Daniel O’Donnell, Alexander Opp, Evan Potter, Daniel Rosenblum, Keegan Slattery, Brock Smethills, Peter Walker, Ryan Wedmore, Maxwell Wiepking and Brent Zaterman.
There is more about each of them in my Seen First blog (blogs.denverpost.com/davidson) but here are some previews:
Brock Smethills, a graduate of Kent Denver School planning to enroll at Vanderbilt University, expects to receive his pilot’s license this summer. Earlier this year he completed an internship at United Launch Alliance, the rocket-building component of Lockheed Martin, and was inducted into the American Chemical Society.
Patrick Murray, also a Kent graduate, was granted extra-early admission to Georgetown University, which he will enter as a sophomore lacrosse recruit. At Kent, he received all-state and all-American lacrosse honors; he also played varsity football and basketball.
Brittany Bowlen, a graduate of Colorado Academy and award-winning figure skater, will attend Notre Dame. Others going there are Conor Hegedus and Mary Astuno.
Before she heads off to Bucknell College, Mullen High grad Carlyn Read is going to be one of six individuals on a Voyageur canoe trip to the Arctic Circle.
Le Bal de Ballet is the Denver Ballet Guild’s principal fundraiser. Suzanne Pacetti was the chairwoman; Diane Newcom was the honorary chairwoman and Virginia Danna is president of the guild.
Society editor Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter
