Senior Year activities were going on throughout the month of May. There's so much to wrap up and commemorate at this stage of life. Here's pictures from some of the wonderful activities.
All Stonehaven seniors have a capstone project. The primary purpose for the capstone is for students to bring to bear all of the available means of persuasion to grapple with issues of value, logic, and morality. Students pick specialized and individualized topics that hold meaning to them. Lily picked a topic that relates to reforming classical education. She called it Trivium on Trial, and it related to making mock trial a required class in the rhetoric stage. They present their topics in three different formats. First up is an Epistle which is similar to a standard thesis paper. They combine research, media literacy, Christian worldview, and loving persuasion. The second phase is a Symposium event where they present to and interact with a broader audience with the goal of sharing personal connections and discovering interdisciplinary connections in the community.
The third phase is the Exhibitio. This is a gallery of true, good, and beautiful creations or curated artifact displays made public for the purpose of providing a tangible experience of their researched rhetorical problem. You can't exactly put on a trial in front of everyone, so Lily had found pictures of four important moments in legal history; one of those was her leading Avery on the witness stand in mock trial which I loved. She then took on the role of courtroom artist and drew them out. She timed herself to the same length of time a mock trial courtroom artist would have to recreate the scene. I thought that was a great detail to tie it together.
The school also hosts an Evensong event which is a lovely dinner and worship service. Avery, as class representative, also delivered a wonderful speech to her classmates. When the students move from the logic to the rhetoric stage at the end of 9th grade, each student is given a word that both represents them and challenges them to grow. They are given certificates here with that same word as a time of reflection and continued challenge. Lily's word then and now is Respectfulness.
We were so excited to have a graduation party for Lily! It was a drop-in, and we were thrilled that so many family and friends were able to come by to help us celebrate. Lily designed this beautiful invitation.
We were all having so much fun that we didn't get nearly enough pictures. Thankfully, our friend, Christian Fogas, was available to snap quite a few for us. He's a very talented young photographer, so we appreciated that. Here are a few of the pictures that he or we captured.
We rented The Reed House in Smyrna. It was a gorgeous day, so this was a perfect venue. It was lovely inside, and it has a fantastic huge front porch and lawn to spill out on to.
We had The Cheezy Truck come to provide food for all. They had the absolute best grilled cheese sandwiches; there were 9 varieties to choose from! This was a great hit.
We also had a candy bar, cupcakes, and make your own soda bar which was lots of fun.
We had pictures everywhere of Lily growing up through the years. Some of them were just her while others had her with family and friends. We had these pictures spread throughout all the tables. One of my favorites was this banner which showed Lily's first day of school picture from Kindergarten through 12th grade.
All the seniors make poster boards with pictures for their parties, so Lily had fun putting this together.
We set up a Samford table in the front room where people could leave gifts. We set up lots of tables on the front porch as well so people could enjoy the beautiful day.
We set out a beautiful journal Bible, and asked the guests to highlight meaningful verses and write notes to Lily in it. I thought this was a truly beautiful keepsake.
Of course, the best part of any gathering is the people that are there. I wish we had a picture of every single person that was able to join in!
These three. How can we not have an Avery, Lily, and Nate picture?
Lily with Zaya; it'll be great to have them both at Samford in the fall.
Ever and Gabby are juniors at Stonehaven, but they are two of the sweetest girls.
We were so glad the Binghams came over from Birmingham!
Two cuties: Emma Hanbury (one of Lily's favorites to babysit) and Kristian from Brylliant.
We love the Hendersons! Parker couldn't be at the party today, but we're thrilled he will be at Samford too.
Lauren! She's been at Berry for the last year, but she's remained a great friend to Lily.
Lots of sweet girls here: Lauren Martin, Lucy Elrod, Paige Pennington, Sadie Pennington, Mia, and Amelia Pennington
I'm so thankful Elizabeth (and Jeff) Smith could be there! Granna and Papa were happy to be at the party as was Bama; how did we not get a picture with Bama?
We love Kendall, and we're so glad she and Lily will grow closer when Lily moves to Birmingham.
Katie, Avery, and Lily having fun with their grilled cheese sandwiches.
I'm so thankful for our family!
Awards Day for the upper school was a lot of fun. Lily was presented with the Diligence award which is a perfect fit. She also received her three cords. One is for being in Cambridge House (all seniors get house cords), one is for completing over 200 hours of volunteer service, and one is for receiving a diploma with distinction which means she took additional classes to further challenge herself. We're so proud of her hard work all these years.
This is the first year the school has had students spend all of their education careers at Stonehaven. Lily, Avery, and Nate have been here since Pre-K while Raegan and Alyssa joined in Kindergarten. The school had designed these students as Fide Scholars. They were each given a special Stonehaven pin to wear on their stole at graduation. They also gave each student these beautiful framed pictures which has their official school picture from each year. What a great idea!
The last week of school arrived, and the seniors had lots of fun with different themes each day.
Eventually the last day of class arrived. They all gathered to watch the sunrise together.
It was also time for a senior prank. They managed to park their cars all over the school grounds, and they all gather on the roof of the school to greet all the students.
Time has absolutely flown by as we've gone from the first day of Pre-K to the last day of 12th.
The last day of school is always a half-day, and it ends with a chapel service for the entire school. The seniors all wear their graduation robes and cords over their uniforms.
Lily with Nate and Avery. These three have been together for 14 years. I'm not sure what to think about not having either of them as a part of our daily lives. I love these kids, the bond they have, and the memories they have made together over the years. What a trio.
Seniors escort in the Kindergarteners by house. Lily, Avery, Nate, and Liam Harvey walked in the Cambridge group.
Cambridge walked in first, and Lily led the procession.
The seniors walk out two by two. Lily and Timmy Johnson led the way out.
They form a walk-through for the Kindergarteners as they exist the chapel.
The seniors have the honor of leading the 10-second countdown to the end of the school year and the start of summer. Several of us senior parents got pretty emotional watching this.
School's out! I love this picture. Lily and Avery are sharing a big hug right in front as everyone else cheers on.
Wow. It's hard to believe Lily's time at Stonehaven has come to a close. What an amazing fourteen years it has been.
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