Here we are again. It’s time to plan another homeschool high school graduation!
First item on the agenda? Cry a few tears.
This is the second time we’ve launched a great kid from our home. While I’ve already graduated one kid and have experienced so much delight that comes with having an adult child, I still reserve the right to cry again this time. These are tears of joy and gratitude, you can be sure. When I think of all God has done to bring us to this place and to grow our sons into men, the tears come. Why hold back? Tears are a gift.
Many people ask me, “How do you do a homeschool high school graduation?” No caps and gowns, no valedictorian address, no walk across the stage. What does a homeschool high school graduation look like, anyway?
My answer: Your homeschool high school graduation can be whatever you want it to be! Each child and family is different. One of the perks of homeschooling is choosing to educate your kids in whatever ways work best for your family. The same is true for graduation!
Today I’ll share what we’ve chosen to do for our sons as we celebrate the end of their high school career.
How Our Family Does Homeschool High School Graduation
- We invite grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to join us for a weekend in our home. We’d invite every single person we know and love, but only so many people fit in our living room. The big reception comes later (see #10).
- Saturday at noon we enjoy a nice meal in our home with our guests, the menu of which is chosen by the graduate.
- After we eat our graduate’s special meal, we pull chairs into the living room for our time of celebration.
- In true Coppinger fashion, we share a fun video that our boys have put together on behalf of the graduate. :)
- Each person then shares a special word of encouragement and offers a blessing to the graduate. There are not many dry eyes during this special time. Family members who live too far to join us for this send emails that we read at this time so that their words can be heard too. Did I mention that there are tears?
- Matt and I are the last to share our words of love and blessing to our graduate. I can’t talk and cry at the same time, so I write mine out and make Matt read it while I boo-hoo beside him. What can I say?
- We all gather around our graduate and say a prayer of blessing over him.
- Matt and I present him with a diploma that we’ve printed and framed.
- We all share a special dessert that has been chosen by the graduate.
- Sunday afternoon we have a big graduation reception at our church fellowship hall in which extended family and friends have been invited to come celebrate.
It is a full weekend of joy, you can be sure! I learned last time around that I must be very organized in order to pull off such a big weekend full of company, food, and a big reception. Thankfully, when family is here to visit, many pitch in to help as needed. I try to keep food as simple as possible, but still, with many to feed and a party to execute, even the simplest of plans takes hard work.
How to you do high school graduation?
If you are a homeschool family, I’d love to hear how you do high school graduation at your house. And whether you homeschool or not, I’d love to hear how you honor your graduates. Please pass the kleenex.
My oldest graduated 2 years ago. She didn’t want a celebration. She wanted to take one last family vacation before heading off to college. So we went to NYC for four days. Loved every minute of celebrating her the way she wanted!
That’s awesome! Congratulations!! We have a graduate of our own this summer. There will be tears and there have been tears.
That was a nice way to congratulate your Son on his graduation….
He got all the attention that’s for sure……Good job Coppinger’s on another Son graduating…..:)
My oldest is graduating and we are having a joint graduation service with another homeschooling friend at their church. His dad is the pastor there and will be delivering a “charge” or message to the graduates. No cap and gowns, as neither graduate was very keen on that, but it will be a nice time and something we can invite family and friends to. We will, of course, have food afterward….and probably some funny pictures.!
We have two events. Our homeschool co-op has a family night where we can show a video and speak, but that is in late April or early May so we don’t give theor them diploma there. In early June, we have a big party with the guest list chosen by the graduate who also chooses their school colors, menu, etc and that is when we present their diploma.
We have our oldest graduating this year so we have been busy with graduation planning. Originally we figured that we would just have an open house and at the beginning of the open house we would say a few words, present her diploma and have both grandpas pray for her and then commence to the party. But some friends of ours who also have a graduate wondered if we would be interested in planning a group graduation. So we said sure. We opened it up to others in our area but ended up with only one other joining us this time (the three families have kids the same age for several more graduations and we suspect that more will want to join us in the future). So we are going to do a fairly traditional ceremony (with caps and gowns) at our church building. The parents will each give out the diplomas to their child and get to say a few words. Each child will also get to share a performance of some sort. We do have a former homeschooling dad and a local justice coming to give a talk. We will have a reception afterwards. Then the next day we are going to have an open house at our home. We are excited about all of it.
When I was graduating from homeschool a friend and I decide to do a joint ceremony/party. We did wear caps and gowns but otherwise we had a ceremony much like what we are doing for our daughter – though it was on a stage in our backyard. Then we had a reception/party afterwards.
Congratulations Coppingers on graduating Son #2 Justus….he sure is handsome …he will make some lady a good husband, because he has been raised by great parents….and he seems to be so sweet….and yes you will cry….I cried at both my kids graduation…..I did double crying that day as both of mine graduated the same day, once from high school & then college…..,then my Daughter from Nurses’ School, and my Son from a Police Academy…..all happy times and lots of tears….then when they leave home, it starts again….you never get over missing your kids no matter how old they are…..I am tearing up as I write this…..I am such a crier…..and I am so proud of both my kids and I did it by myself…..tough but I made it thanks to GOD…I owe him all the credit….
I hadn’t even thought about this. We are relatively new to homeschooling so this is a great post for the future. Thanks :)