Dear Connecticut College Parents: Final exams have ended and the Class of 2006 is set for Commencement this weekend. Catch up on the latest campus news below: Commencement 2006: Pomp and circumstance. The College’s 88th Commencement exercises on Sunday, May 21 feature 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. Out of the classroom. After 140 years of service, four of CC’s faculty members retire in June. Honors and awards. Students receive prizes for academic excellence during a special ceremony and keynote speaker Sunil Bhatia urges them to speak up for what is just. Senior pride. As they transition from students to alumni, members of the Class of 2006 rally together to support CC through the Senior Pledge Program. Other campus news: Official visit. CC President-elect Lee Higdon, Jr. meets with faculty, staff and students pledging to ‘invest in our distinctiveness.’ On screen. Barry Stringfellow ’82 writes the new film “One Last Thing…” starring Cynthia Nixon, Ethan Hawke and Michael Angarano. Water polo. The women’s water polo squad causes a splash against Division 1 teams. Bit by bit. Eben Cross ’03 earns a trip to Germany on his quest to save the planet. Democracy matters. Activist and intellectual Cornel West heralds the value of going outside your ‘comfort zone’ to find joy in a recent campus lecture. Remembering Paul Fell. Varun Swamy ’01 learned the power of patience from the beloved professor of zoology who died in December 2005 — and he learned always to take the stairs. For more CC news and information plus a calendar of athletic and campus events, go to www.conncoll.edu. Announcements: CC makes the news. Recent highlights from national and local media. Around the world. Read the latest blog entry from David Owyang ’07, who is spending the semester in Vietnam , and check out a new gallery of photos from students who participated in TRIP China 2006 in January. Make a gift to CC. We welcome your feedback on our monthly newsletter. Send comments to Julie Novak at jnova@conncoll.edu. For information about CC’s Parents Committee or to update your contact information, e-mail brandy.kolmer@conncoll.edu.