GUS Celebrates the Class of 2020
For our graduating eighth grade class, the spring of 2020 looked much different than expected.
The phrase the show must go on was more true this spring than ever! Beginning with the musical to an alternative service learning project and a full Pompa Circensis, our graduates impressed us with their poise, resilience, and talent in so many ways. Finding ways to celebrate this class and provide them with as many of the celebrated GUS 8th grade graduation experiences as we could was more important than ever.
For those of you who have not yet experienced 8th grade graduation, it is something truly unique to GUS. Bagpipes are always an important memory that people have of graduation, and we were excited to have them join us to kick off the last week of school with a special 8th grade “senior salute” drive-through of campus. We loved seeing everyone’s faces ang being able to cheer for them. It definitely helped build excitement heading into those final days.
Students and their immediate families joined us on campus for small-scale (and appropriately socially-distanced!) graduate introductions. Each graduate leaves teachers with images and memories of their time here, and will be missed in certain special ways for many unique reasons. Before we say goodbye and award diplomas, each year we take a moment to celebrate their individual accomplishments and contributions to the school community. These introductions, usually read at graduation by the Head of School, represent the collective voice of the GUS faculty. Families also had the opportunity to take formal portraits to commemorate the occasion.
The Evening With The Graduates is one of the most important of the GUS Graduation events, both in the history of the school and in the lives of our graduates. It is an occasion for each member of the graduating class to speak about something that is a deeply held belief, and then for the class as a whole to pass on the mantle of leadership to the rising 8th grade class. At Glen Urquhart School, we have provided experiences that challenged students to explore their intellects and imaginations, to question and listen, and to respect others and act for the greater good. Students during transitions experience a wide range of emotions and deal with contradictory feelings. It’s often difficult to reconcile these emotions at such a young age, and writing a speech such as this challenges them to explore below the surface of experience and to view their experiences with perspective. The speeches are always meaningful and this year was no exception! We thank Mr. Bartsch for his work guiding students through the work.
The annual passing of the tartan from the graduating class to the seventh grade class, is a solemn ceremony, a time to reflect and think about who you are now and who you want to be. Students have, as our graduates will tell you, no idea what next year may bring, but we all know that we will stand together and weather any storm. That is what the tartan represents, the beauty of community, of us all coming together. As they drape the tartan around their necks, we hope it reminds them that they are a part of something bigger than themselves. May they wear the tartan with pride and carry that pride with them as they mean well, speak well, do well. This year, 7th grade teachers hand delivered the tartans with advice from our graduates, and we gathered together on zoom to share the History of the Urquhart Clan and The Wish. While we certainly missed the candles, it was still an event filled with meaning.
Finally, we felt it was important to recognize the actual graduation day, June 10, 2020. On Wednesday, we had a live viewing of our alumni graduation speakers, and the faculty and 8th grade choruses. It is tradition to have two GUS alumni, graduating eighth graders at the time the graduating class was in Kindergarten, offer words of wisdom to the graduating class. This tradition is a lovely nod to the cyclical nature of life and of GUS and a wonderful way to celebrate our fine school and our amazing graduates.
Whether just this year or since Kindergarten, it has been a joy to watch these young people grow up. It was clear that this class needed to celebrate. We worked hard to make every moment count and ready them for the great leap into high school with the pomp and circumstance, with the tradition, they deserve. With the campus drive through, Evening With The Graduates, the introductions of the graduates, alumni graduation speakers, chorus singing, yearbooks, tussie mussies and bagpipers, we certainly celebrated in true GUS fashion, but we aren’t done yet! We look forward to celebrating with the whole class on July 19. It will be so wonderful to honor the great class of 2020, together.