District Five Schools Mark End of the School Year with Activities and Ceremonies
June 9, 2014
IRMO, SC – School’s out for summer, and district-wide teachers and students marked the end of 2013-2014 classes with ceremonies and events throughout the week.
At the Carolina Coliseum on June 5, hundreds of graduates from Chapin High, Dutch Fork High and Irmo High exchanged hugs and farewells after receiving their diplomas. District Five Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hefner spoke to graduates on the importance of the day.
“Perhaps the reason the high school graduation ceremony has remained a ritual of extreme significance is because it is the only universally recognized ceremony in our great nation that declares a person to be an adult,” he said. “By holding this ceremony in your honor, we are publically stating that we believe you have acquired the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for lifelong learning, responsible citizenship and productivity in an ever-changing world.
Principals and students offered advice and inspiration to graduates, while sharing their memories from the school year. Quoting from the poem Rise Above the Crowd, Chapin Principal Dr. Akil Ross urged graduates to continue to raise the bar of expectations for themselves.
“The world is full of people content to be what they are, who never know the joy of success. They lack the will to go that far. …This can be your year for great purpose to achieve, if you accept the challenge and in yourself believe,” Ross read.
In addition to high school graduations, other District Five schools held end-of-the-year events and presentations. Students at Ballentine Elementary danced to music and pounced through bouncy houses during the school’s Reading Celebration Day, while 4K students at Nursery Road Elementary donned cap and gown and received certificates in observance of the end of their year.
“We saw many successes in academics, student and teacher achievement and other areas,” Hefner said. “It was a great school year, and we are looking forward to more success to come in the 2014-2015 school year.”
