Eastside Academy Graduation

I might seperate this update into several posts, because I want to include a lot of pictures. Two weeks ago was the last week of school for both Eastside Academy and EA2. We celebrated one graduate from EA2 this year (most students do not go to EA2 full-time but transfer credit to a local high school or come for tutoring). The event featured some cake and ice cream, a few short teacher speeches, and a small breakroom full of people.

On Thursday night, Ashley, an Eastside Academy student, arrived from California for her graduation weekend. She stayed in our condo, since she graduated early and moved away last semester. I kept in touch by writing some letters to her, so I was a logical choice for a host(ess) while she was in town.

In between the rehearsal and graduation event, I decided to take Ashley for a manicure and hairstyle. Lyric was also hanging around at school, so we invited her along too! Both girls are new Christians as of this year, and we had some great conversation in Starbucks before hitting the salon for their first professional hairstyling. It was a lot of fun to see them transformed and suddenly looking several years older. Afterward, we headed to a manicure place to get their nails done in pretty red and purple polish.



The graduation itself was the most touching ceremony I have ever been to. There were 10 graduates total and each got up to give a short speech about how Eastside Academy has affected their lives and what dreams and plans they have for their future. Then, a different staff member for each student spoke about touching school moments, encouraging advice, and how they've seen the graduate grow and mature.





I almost cried several times, though some speeches, like Juan's for example, were sillier than others...



During the tossing of the caps, Ashley's hat collided with Lyric's head, thus producing this classic shot about a second later.



After the ceremony, I took photos with several of the graduates and other students there supporting their classmates. This is Lyric and her brother, Ryan, who also attends Eastside Academy.



Here are Lyric and Skye, another wonderful (and colorful!) classmate.



This is Eric Dill, the math teacher in whose class I spend the most time this school year, volunteering and tutoring students in his various math courses.