Woodlawn's Class of 2010 (Photo courtesy Woodlawn School)

Graduation ceremonies typically consist of pomp, circumstance — and tedium. All those names to mispronounce. All those diplomas to hand out.

For Woodlawn School’s commencement Tuesday morning, tedium will likely not be a problem, even though every member of the Class of 2010 will be making a speech. The class consists of a grand total of two. Kathleen Elkins of Davidson and Chad Raines of Denver will be the first students to receive a diploma from the private school a mile north of Davidson College.

“We always thought we’d have a high school at some point,” said founder Dwayne Bowman, who opened Woodlawn in 2002 for grades four through seven. The school eventually added an 8th grade, and then a 9th grade, but students tended to head off to other places for high school. For example, the valedictorian at Cannon School, Matt Sarett, and one of the two candidates for valedictorian at North Mecklenburg High, Katie Driest, attended middle school at Woodlawn.

“We offered 10th grade, but (Kathleen and Chad) were the first to take us up on it,” Mr. Bowman said. That meant putting together an Advanced Placement program and making other adjustments. “They took a very rigorous program and had most of the opportunities you could get at a bigger school, but it’s tough to pave the way and they had to go on the faith that it would work.”

Kathleen Elkins, at left, and Chad Raines graduate Tuesday from Woodlawn.

Neither student expresses any regrets.

“I really couldn’t picture myself at a different school,” said Kathleen. “I embraced the smaller atmosphere.”

“I’m absolutely blessed to have been able to see Woodlawn at this level,” said Chad.

The two have finished their senior projects and internships and earned recognition as “AP Scholars with Honor” for high marks on those debut Advanced Placement tests. They’ve sometimes been in classes with as many as 14 students, but more often than not it’s been just Chad and Kathleen.

“With only two in a class, you’ve got to be prepared,” Mr. Bowman noted.

He also remarked that the small class is nonetheless diverse, at least in terms of personalities, since Chad and Kathleen are in many ways opposites. She is a sports standout who gets along with everyone and did a class project that involved baking apple pies. He calls himself “Woodlawn’s crazy uncle” and prefers politics to athletics, writing a regular opinion column for the school newspaper and lobbying to have the two new buildings under construction on campus named Elkins Lodge and Raines Hall after himself and Kathleen.

At Tuesday’s school picnic, Kathleen and Chad will don graduation gowns and conclude their education at Woodlawn.

“The people coming up behind them own Kathleen and Chad a debt of gratitude,” said Mr. Bowman.

Here, then, is a profile of the pioneer graduating class for the Trailblazers:

KATHLEEN ELKINS

Kathleen, the daughter of Hugh and Diane Elkins of Davidson, started middle school at Woodlawn in the fall of 2003, the year after the school opened. Kathleen was finishing fifth grade at Davidson Elementary School when she learned of Woodlawn through family friends, the Saretts.

Kathleen Elkins

Kathleen can still remember her first visit to the wooded school grounds on Presbyterian Road.

“We were outside a lot and we went to the wetlands on the campus,” she recalled. “I specifically remember having a push-up competition and thinking that was great. I got in the car and said, ‘Mom, I have to go to this school next year.’”

She never looked back on that decision, calling herself “100 percent glad” she chose Woodlawn.

Alongside her class work, Kathleen has also been devoted to tennis, competing with the private Charlotte Tennis Academy, winning tournaments and earning national rankings. She will spend the summer before college playing on red clay courts through the Tennis-Europe tour program.

“She could have won a state title, but Woodlawn does not have a varsity tennis team,” Mr. Bowman said.

That opened up the opportunity for Kathleen to run cross country in the fall, and she ended her high school distance running career with the school cross country record of 19:08 minutes for the 5K. She and Sawyer Bowman, the school’s top distance runner for boys cross country, also formed a two-person Trailblazers track team last spring, which by this spring jumped in size to eight runners.  Kathleen was able to set four Woodlawn track records in middle distance and distance events.

“It was difficult to balance everything this spring with tennis, track and my senior project,” Kathleen said.

Her senior year Capstone Project, another new tradition for Woodlawn, was titled “As American as Apple Pie” and looked at the cultural significance of pies in America and their culinary roots in Europe. For the service component of the project, she baked and sold pies at the Davidson Farmer’s Market and other places, turning over her proceeds to the Second Harvest food shelf.

Kathleen cites Sarah Blackwell as her special mentor at Woodlawn. Ms. Blackwell was her cross country coach and also her middle school math teacher, her freshman/sophomore history teacher and her Capstone coach.

“She is one of the reasons why I enjoyed Woodlawn so much,” said Kathleen.

In the fall, Kathleen will head to Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., where she will be a member of the top-ranked women’s tennis team. She says she will miss the tradition of kissing a W for good luck before Woodlawn cross country meets and some of the other special traditions of her small school.

“I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” Kathleen said of graduation. “I’m not worried about the transition.”

CHAD RAINES

Chad, the son of Jena and Patrick Healy of Denver, attended the private Providence Day in Charlotte before moving to the Lake Norman area. Chad tried out Bradley Middle, the local public school, but called it “a jarring year” and asked to switch back to private schooling. Like Kathleen, he was immediately impressed with Woodlawn.

“As soon as I got here, I knew I was going to stay at Woodlawn as long as I possibly could,” he said. “I love the atmosphere and I enjoy the campus.”

Chad thinks he would have stayed for graduation even if he had been the lone senior, but was happy to have Kathleen as a classmate. “It would have been much harder to do this without her,” he said.

Chad Raines

Calling himself a literature person who has endured subjects like calculus, Chad joined Woodlawn’s Red Barn Players theater group and played the role of Hannibal in “The Curious Savage” this December.

Like Kathleen, Chad cites Ms. Blackwell as an important influence at Woodlawn.

“She taught me how to write an essay,” he said. And she apparently succeeded, since Chad scored a perfect 10 on his SAT essay, on the topic of whether you have to sacrifice morals to succeed in the business world.

“Of course you do,” said Chad, who enjoys being opinionated and provoking discussion.

He intends to pursue a career in law and politics with the goal of becoming a corporate lawyer.

“I love wearing a suit,” he claimed.

Last summer, Chad spent 11 days in Washington, D.C., attending the LeadAmerica program. He has also served as editor of “The Lamplighter,” the Woodlawn newspaper, which provided a platform for a regular column, “Chad’s Rants and Raves.” He has ranted against Croc-brand shoes, vegetarianism, Aquapod water bottles and more. His raves have included … well he never really found much to rave about. He does recall once speaking up in favor of Pixie Sticks candy.

Chad will be attending St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, this fall, and thinks Woodlawn has fully prepared him for the college’s classical curriculum. He cited English teacher Tim Helfrich’s literature classes at Woodlawn as a favorite, listing discussions of Camus’ “The Stranger,” Pearl Buck’s “The Good Earth,” and Hermann Hesse’s “Siddhartha” as particularly influential.

“We got to read a book, talk about it and examine it, and that’s what I like to do,” he said.

For his senior Capstone Project, Chad focused on philosopher Ayn Rand’s writings about Objectivism, which Chad describes as making logical decisions rooted in self interest and striving for excellence. He interned at public radio station WDAV-FM in Davidson and produced a 45-minute radio segment on how Objectivism applies to the real world.

Chad finds the difference between the two Class of 2010 Capstone Projects as a humorous sign of what he loves about Woodlawn.

“Objectivism and apple pie – it sums us up so well,” he said.

He made his pronouncement while sitting in a rocking chair on a school veranda. A few minutes later, the school founder walked by with a broom in one hand, having just swept the back sidewalk. Chad smiled at the scene.

“That’s not something you’re going to see at other school,” Chad said. “There is something special about Woodlawn. This is an incredibly enjoyable place and it is truly a family.”