DAPHNE, Ala.—Bayside Academy parents, teachers, school officials and friends gathered Sunday on the bluff—a large patch of grass on the bayfront campus—to celebrate the school’s 2009 graduating class.

The 69 students—who walked a candle-lit procession to receive their diplomas—represent a total $5 million in scholarships for higher education, according to the school’s headmaster, Tom Johnson.

“This class has a lot of potential,” he said. “They displayed their potential while they were here at the school.”

Bayside presented a multi-faceted curriculum with several chances—and challenges—that committed students met.

Besides traditional college-prep courses, Bayside has an advanced-placement track in every discipline, helped by an education that focuses beyond academics, according to a spokesperson.

“As part of our mission, we are educating the whole child,” Barbara Pate, Bayside’s director of development, has said.

See the rest of this story in the May 23 Daphne Bulletin.