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GHE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
By Kathy Meyer
I was honored this June to be invited to attend Greensboro Home Educators' commencement service for its six graduating seniors. One of them, Ellen Whitaker, has dual membership with FHE and was in the biology class I taught a few years ago.
It was a perfectly beautiful ceremony, held at a local church, which was decorated festively for the occasion. The honorees wore dark blue caps and gowns (yes, I now know where to obtain these!) and paraded in to suitable music. During the service, which was videotaped, each presented a slide show (with pre-recorded commentary) in which each student honored his or her parents and the parents paid tribute to their offspring. Live music was provided by several student instrumentalists and a girls' vocal group that included some of the grads. Two local clergymen delivered prayers and an address, and there were speeches, devotionals, or monologues by some of the grads. The parents presented each student with a diploma, and there were plenty of photo opportunities.
The reception afterward in the church fellowship hall was similar to a wedding reception. A mom who specializes in cake decorating had provided a gorgeous sheet cake. There was a serving table full of finger foods and punch, and helium balloons were everywhere. After going through a reception line, we were at liberty to eat, visit with the grads, their families, and other guests, and examine the display tables each student had set up with memorabilia of their lives and achievements. A brief summary of their educational history and plans for the future were included in the printed program.
What a fitting closure this was to years of scholarly effort! The commencement cere-mony, like the education, was homemade and individual. How much more meaningful this was than the public high school commencement that Loren also attended, where several of his church friends graduated with some hundreds of others, not all of whom they could even be acquainted with. Quite a contrast!
There is no reason FHE could not do something like this (maybe just a bit less fancy and expensive). We are of comparable size to GHE and probably had six or eight graduates this year. I estimate this based on the birthdates of students listed in our directory, but as a matter of fact, only two seniors showed up for our Promotion Night this past May. There are several students graduating in spring of 1998. I throw down the challenge to them and their families: wouldn't you all like to coordinate such an event? Now you have nearly a year to plan; could you put your heads together?
TO THE PARENTS OR THE 1998 GRADUATING CLASS
By Carrie Pippins
My son Curtis will be graduating this school year and I am taking up Kathy's challenge. I would like to give our seniors a nice ceremony. I counted six seniors this year. If your child is one of those, give me a call if you would like to do something special for our seniors. Contact me; my number is in the directory.
Editor's note: To parents of 'underclassmen.' Now is the time to get in on the ground floor, to assist with planning in some way. You can gain valuable experience to pass along when your 'senior' rises.
