Graduation—More than Pomp and Circumstance
Graduation time is about much more than pomp and circumstance. As the culmination of an academic year filled with achievements, it’s a time to reflect and express gratitude for the opportunities to grow and learn.
College commencement is next Saturday, May 11, and School seniors claim their diplomas the next Sunday, May 19. If you are not able to attend in person, check the Principia Internet Radio (PIR) schedule and tune in to hear the festivities live.
The lineup of College graduation weekend activities includes the President’s Forum, featuring a conversation on “Principia’s Impact and Promise” with professor emeritus Dr. David Gibbs on Thursday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. and the always-inspiring baccalaureate ceremony with College student speeches on Friday, May 10, at 8 p.m. Both events will be broadcast on PIR.
As we wrap up a year of challenge and growth, College seniors are presenting capstone projects while Upper School seniors are exploring their unique interests and talents through independent projects ranging from writing and illustrating books and comic books to training horses and volunteering in a school in Bali. These explorations help prepare students for their next educational steps and provide opportunities to prove and hone their skills.
The week following graduation, underclassmen in Upper School will embark on their class trips. Freshmen will travel to Santa Fe and Los Alamos, drawing together a year of multidisciplinary study in the Freshman Experience program. Sophomores will take a service-oriented trip to the Dominican Republic. And juniors will visit New England for a historical tour focused on the history of the Christian Science movement.
Middle schoolers recently returned from their own experiential learning trips. Sixth grade visited Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. (“Every second something new happened,” as one sixth grader explained.) Seventh grade toured New York City and saw three Broadway plays. And eighth grade explored the jungles of Costa Rica. Check out the video/slideshow to see and hear directly from these energized Middle School learners.
We are looking forward to launching new lifelong learning options this summer. Soon, you will be able to take non-credit, online courses on demand. Anyone with an Internet connection will be able to take advantage of the Principia experience online, anytime. Courses will range from those in the Old and New Testament Bible Series to Marketing Your Business Online.
Meanwhile, you still have time to enroll in two live online seminars that begin next week. Euphrates Institute founder and former CIA analyst Janessa Gans Wilder is teaching Iraq: Ten Years of War, 2003–2013. And as part of our partnership with The Christian Science Monitor, science reporter Pete Spotts will teach Climate Change: The Science and Politics of Global Warming.
During the celebrations taking place over the next few weeks, I will be embracing this year’s metaphysical theme—“Delight in the law of God” (Romans 7:22). It’s impossible not to be delighted when we see our students successfully overcoming challenges and moving forward. Mary Baker Eddy tells us that “progress is the law of God” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 233). Knowing this brings a confident assurance that each Principian is headed toward inspiring new opportunities.