8th Grade Celebrations in Full Swing

It’s been a week of reflection, joy, and celebration for our graduating 8th grade class! Yesterday, the entire school gathered for our final Meeting for Worship of the year, which included a longstanding Middle School tradition: Haikus & Gratitudes. Our 6th-8th teaching team penned personalized haikus for each graduate, read aloud while younger students tried to guess which 8th grader the poem described. Each student then shared a heartfelt note of appreciation with a teacher or staff member and received a yellow rose from their 3rd grade buddy as a symbol of friendship and the bonds that grow across grades.

Today, the entire class took to the Intracoastal Waterway for the Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta at Wrightsville SUP, racing vessels they designed and built themselves while testing their knowledge of Archimedes' principles of density and buoyancy. Some sank, some shredded, some bent, but all made it across the finish line in style! 

And next Friday, we’ll celebrate their final milestone: Graduation. This is an all-school event, and families of any grade level are warmly invited to attend. Unlike traditional ceremonies, each 8th grader gives a speech in their own voice, followed by a teacher presenting them with a hand-selected book and personal dedication. It’s a ceremony full of meaning, heart, and hope for what’s ahead (and one of the most symbolic ways we show that we know and care deeply for each child here).