It’s the time of year that’s packed with graduation ceremonies and parties! To ease the minds and calendars of Clapham School parents, we’ve packed a number of important graduation moments into one event we call Recognition Night.
During Recognition Night we recognize the hard work and accomplishments of our students.
The idea is to set aside a space and time for recognizing the hard work and accomplishments of our students. They have put in considerable effort tackling challenging texts and subjects in history, literature, science, and math. We believe this effort deserves recognition. In particular, we celebrate with our Class Five (or 5th grade) students as they are promoted into the Middle School, our Class Eight (or 8th grade) students as they graduate to high school, and our senior class as they graduate high school and head off to college!
Recognition Night is filled with Clapham Traditions.
Some of our unique traditions for Recognition Night include the items and gifts we award at each level.
CLASS 5
Class Five students receive a medal, emblazoned with a flame, in honor of our mascot and representing the inspiring power of the Holy Spirit, our teacher. On the back of the medal the biblical reference from 2 Timothy 1:6-7 is printed: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
CLASS 8
Class Eight students will receive a certificate and a framed reproduction of an artwork they have chosen from any one of the artists that they have studied during their time at Clapham – all the way from 1st through 8th grade. This art piece represents and exemplifies beauty, which God has called his people to both yearn for and cultivate in creation. After the program, be sure to stop by the tables in the Fireside Room where the art will be on display, to enjoy the artwork the students have selected. You will certainly appreciate the work of Degas, van Gogh, Monet, Turner, and others.
CLASS 12
Class Twelve or seniors will receive the Great Books Humanities Certificate for completing the four humanities seminar courses on the Ancient World, the Middle Ages, the Enlightenment, and the Modern World.
They will also receive signed copies of two literary works that offer introductions and commentary on the Great Books, or classics, that these students have studied over their four years at Clapham School. These two works, both authored by Wheaton College literature professor, Leland Ryken, are A Christian Guide to the Classics and Realm of God: The Classics in Christian Perspective.
Through these gifts, our hope and prayer for our seniors is that they will not leave behind the Great Conversation to which they have been invited here at Clapham School, but that they will remain active and dedicated in the lifelong pursuit of wisdom through immersing themselves in the greatest thinkers and ideas of western civilization.
The Signing of the Book
Another tradition for Clapham School graduates is “the signing of the book.” This book, displayed on stage, will henceforth receive the signatures of all students who have completed the humanities program. Now, be warned, this book is not merely a receptacle for worn-out signatures; it will soon take on a life of its own as a witness to the commitment all signatories make to serve Christ by cultivating His truth, goodness, and beauty in the world. Like the signers of the Declaration of Independence before them, who courageously signed their lives away for the future liberty of their country, so this book will serve as a document of history for all who strive and toil for the sake of goodness, truth, and beauty.
GRADUATES
This year we have our very first full-time Upper School graduate, Isabelle Wachs, receiving an official graduation certificate from Clapham School! Those who have completed 6 credits or more of language courses will also receive the Languages Certificate.
Faculty accolades and music by Prelude and The Clapham Middle School Choir will adorn the program. The evening will conclude with a reception in the Fireside room just outside of College Church’s sanctuary.
Celebrate with us as we recognize the accomplishments of our students!
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