FCDS Announces 2019 Baccalaureate and Graduation Speakers
FCDS is pleased is announce that Matt Peterson, pastor of Awake Church and FCDS parent, will speak at its 2019 Baccalaureate on May 30, and that Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and chair of the Department of Urology at Wake Forest School of Medicine and alumni parent, will speak at its 2019 Commencement on May 31.
Matt Peterson is the lead pastor of Awake Church in Winston-Salem and is the founder and director of Hydrating Humanity, a humanitarian organization that provides clean drinking water and sanitation education to people in East Africa.
Matt founded the group after his work for the government took him to Tanzania, where we met a young Masai boy who asked him for water. Hydrating Humanity is dedicated to its mission of making a world a place where all people have access to clean drinking water and sanitation.
Originally from Oregon, Matt is married to Debbie (a former FCDS teacher who is now a summer enrichment instructor). They have five sons: Josiah (FCDS ’14), Seth, Sam, John (FCDS ’20), and Andrew (FCDS ’23).
Dr. Anthony Atala is the W.H. Boyce professor and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and chair of the Department of Urology at Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Dr. Atala has been widely recognized for his scientific contributions. His faculty website lists awards and citations including:
- The Christopher Columbus Foundation Award bestowed on a living American who is currently working on a discovery that will significantly affect society.
- The World Technology Award in Health and Medicine, presented to individuals achieving significant, lasting progress.
- The Samuel D. Gross Prize awarded every five years to a national leading surgical researcher by the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery.
- The Barringer Medal from the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons.
- The Gold Cystoscope award from the American Urological Association for advances in the field.
- The American Ingenuity Award for Life Sciences, awarded by Smithsonian Magazine (2016).
In 2011, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He was named by Scientific American as a Medical Treatments Leader of the Year for his contributions to the fields of cell, tissue, and organ regeneration. Dr. Atala's work was listed as one of Time magazine’s top ten medical breakthroughs of the year, and as Discover magazine’s top science story of the year in the field of medicine in 2007.
He serves on the editorial board of the scientific journal Rejuvenation Research and on the national board of advisors for High Point University.
Dr. Atala is married to Dr. Katherine Atala, a former member of the Board of Trustees of Forsyth Country Day School. Their sons, Christopher FCDS ’18 and Zachary both attended FCDS.
Forsyth Country Day School (FCDS) is a private, college preparatory, independent school for preschool through high school located in Lewisville, NC, just outside of Winston-Salem. Students benefit from a challenging academic curriculum, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.
Non-Discrimination Policy: Forsyth Country Day School is committed to administering all education and employment activities without discrimination based on one’s race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Non-Discrimination Policy: Forsyth Country Day School is committed to administering all education and employment activities without discrimination based on one’s race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
