Where Does The Time Go?

There are events each year that truly symbolize the "movement" of time... Carnival signifies the new school year, Red Barn Farm symbolizes the beauty of fall, the winter musicals kick off the holiday season, the auction lets us know spring is around the corner, Acorn Day celebrates spring and field day helps bring another school year to an end!

But, there is simply no event like graduation! For our 8th graders, some have been here for a few years and some have spent as many as 14 years at Oakhill... This is their home... Their family... Their safe place. And, for all of us, the 8th graders are part of our family... We are so proud of them, yet we are very sad to see them go. 

We strive to make the night memorable for the students and their families... From the legacy videos, to the speeches and the music for the reception. The boys wear black suits and Oakhill ties while the girls wear beautiful white dresses. Mrs. Ganaden and I address the class with personal stories and recollections, while two student speakers from the 8th grade class bring both laughs and tears from their classmates and faculty. Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Ely add their special touches showcasing the 8th graders one last time. After the ceremony, the 7th grade parents host a beautiful reception for the graduates and their families. 

The graduates return to Oakhill the next day for a Kindergarten/8th grade brunch followed by one last memory to be made. The entire school lines the hallways for the final "walk"! Finally, the graduates are greeted by a Limo in the Center Drive - after lots of pictures, hugs, tears, and cheers, they are off for an afternoon adventure together! 

And, the cycle continues... Our 7th graders prepare themselves to be the new 8th grade leaders... they head back into the school... Pick out their lockers for the coming year... And smile! Now it is their time... And, they, too, will enjoy this tradition next year - same time/same place!

 

Although our graduates "leave", they do come back often... They will forever be a part of Oakhill - our pride... Our alumni!

Tick tick,
Suzanne

Friendly sports competitions (and trophies) always bring our alumni back to visit (and play)!
2014 Alumni/Faculty Volleyball Game

And... They're Off!

Goodbye Graduates!

The 8th grade graduation is always bittersweet… we have taught them, watched them grow up right before our eyes, and have become quite attached! On graduation night those 8th graders who used to be little Toddlers and Preschoolers and Kindergartners are all grown up, ready to spread their wings and fly! Although we are so very proud, we are also so very sad to see them go… and, for me, personally, this year was extra hard… my own son was a graduate!

I only wish each and every family could come to graduation… to see the handsome young men in their black suits and teal and black Oakhill ties and the beautiful young women in their gorgeous white dresses… to hear their speeches… to watch their heartfelt legacy videos where they thank their teachers for all they have learned. Graduation is such a special night for the students, the families, and the faculty – a night none of the graduates will ever forget.

The student speeches always bring many laughs and many tears! The message they deliver is one we should use for marketing on our website – straight from the heart - reminiscing about the good times at Oakhill and preparing for life beyond these walls. This year’s message can be seen in the following excerpts:

Brady McCanles

We came into the (basketball) season fresh off a championship, so you'd think that would make the other teams worry. But for some reason, they didn't. They just looked at us and saw that we had lost four key players, that we had new and inexperienced kids, and they wrote us off. And that was true for the most part, we did lose some key members of our team, we did have new kids, but they forgot one thing about us, they forgot we fight, they forgot we don't give up just because the odds are stacked against us. So when tournament time came around, we had a low number six seed, and no one paid any attention to us, but that was their mistake. We had become a true team by that point, and no one could stop us. We beat the number two, number three, and number one teams on our way to our Championship win. And that was because we have formed a bond that was beyond a group of athletes, we had become brothers. I think that's what Oakhill is about, it creates lasting bonds that will withstand the test of time, and are almost impossible to break. More friends will be added along the line, but we will all always be here for each other. We will go on to our respective high schools, but this, this building on the little street of North Cherry, will always be home. Oakhill has become a school that will never be overlooked again. Everything we succeed in will come back to the knowledge and lessons we have learned here, and for that, I will be forever grateful. Each and every one of us came here separately as kids, but we leave here, a family.

Darcy Bond

Tonight we’re leaving the place we’ve grown up in and leaving the people who are more than just friends. All these people, the students, teachers, and staff, are my extended family. Just like Oakhill is my other home. High school is a place where each of us will go our separate ways to make new families. But I can guarantee that none of us will forget the memories we’ve made at Oakhill as well as the relationships we’ve formed with each other. I’d like to end with a quote that I feel fits tonight’s situation. The quote is from a famous poet whom most of you know, his name is Dr. Seuss. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” 

On our final day of school, our Kindergarten students graduated and joined our 8th grade graduates and families for a wonderful brunch. After the celebration, our 8th graders walked through the hallways for a final time, handed the “torch” to the 7th grade, boarded a limo with Mrs. Ganaden, our Middle School Division Head, traveled to their respective high schools, and enjoyed a final afternoon together at Schlitterbahn water park. Mrs. Ganaden focused her graduation message on “home" by quoting Alexander Hemon, "Home is where somebody notices when you are no longer there." Oakhill will always be home to our alumni – we will always welcome them with open arms and cannot wait to see the places they go. The "Graduating" Moms & Dads - Moving on it hard for us too!