Because the school is so small, they really go all out to make the ceremony special, and the kids were involved in the planning and presentations of the evening.
Olivia was absolutely gorgeous . . . when I saw her walking towards us right before the ceremony started, I got choked up as I saw how my baby girl had transformed into a beautiful young woman literally overnight.
We did a complete re-enactment of the first day of kindergarten photo.
The parents were in charge of decorating, and the auditorium looked amazing. Somehow I got roped into making a balloon arch, with the help of two other amazing moms.
Life-size silhouettes of all 27 students lined the walls of the room. They were so true to life that I could tell who was who, even before seeing the names!
The stage was lined with tulle and little graduate picks, complete with each student's face.
The program started out with a slideshow of the students, showing pictures of each of them from babyhood to now. Then the students walked up on stage to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance.
Olivia and three of her best friends sang the national anthem.
Olivia and Katelyn gave the class history—a recap of the nine years spent at the school.
Each student was recognized for their accomplishments. Olivia received the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence, the Superintendent's Honor Roll for a 4.0 GPA, and was recognized for the character trait of Caring.
I went in to the auditorium with a brand new box of kleenex, and fully anticipated having to use the whole thing. Miraculously enough, I only needed three tissues! For some reason, once the ceremony started, most of my sadness left, and I was filled with excitement for this next phase of her life.
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| A teary hug from daddy... |
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| Olivia with her amazing Art teacher, Mrs. Campbell |
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| Olivia with her Math & Science teacher, Mrs. Takei |
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| Katelyn & Olivia have been BFFs since kindergarten. They're headed to different high schools in the fall. |
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| Eric started kindergarten with Olivia. He left the school this year, but came to visit the graduation dance. |
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| One last class photo |
It was a beautiful, perfect evening . . . the perfect culmination to nine years of memories!
3 comments:
That first picture of Olivia is gorgeous. She is stunning! I got all teary seeing the picture of her and Steve hugging. There is something so special about a daddy and his daughter. Goodness. I can't believe she is off to high school! I love how special the graduation was. What a wonderful experience she has had being at Sunol.
Hi I'm Heather! Please email me when you get a chance, I have a question about your blog! LifesABanquet1(at)gmail.com
Alyson,
I love love love this post. Olivia is such a beautiful, poised, kind, gentle, funny, interesting young woman. Just like her mom. She looked gorgeous at graduation. Her dress was perfect for the occasion. Not too grown up, but not to babyish. And she was just glowing.
I really enjoyed seeing all of the graduation photos. You guys did a great job and everyone was ooooing and aaahhhing over the decorations.
I wish I had stayed for the dance. I wonder how many of those high heeled shoes came off after graduation? If you had put all of the high heels together, I think they may have traveled to the moon and back!
Olivia is going to love high school. And you will be right there beside her, to listen to everything she has to tell you about it. Get your kleenex!
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