Class of 2024 Graduation Information

8/9/2023

Dear 8th grade parents,

It’s hard to believe that the Class of 2024 is starting their 8th grade year! This class is thriving as leaders of the school and we are honored to walk this journey alongside each and every member of this extraordinary class as well as with you, the parents! There is much to look forward to during their last year at Harding Academy and we want to celebrate their time here in a multitude of ways. As we know many people need to plan in advance, here are a few guidelines and requests as we move into the 2023-2024 school year.

Important Dates:

8/22/23-8/24/23- 8th Grade Retreat to Barefoot Republic

8/25/23 - Off Campus Community Service, Lunch and Class Bowling Trip

8/29/23- 8th Grade Parent High School Meeting

8/30/23- Graduation Committee Sign-Up (email sent at 7 PM)

8/31/23- 8th Grade Individual Portraits

11/18/23- ISEE Testing at Harding Academy

3/19/24- 8th Grade Brick Reveal

4/27/24- Six Flags Over Georgia

5/6/24 - 5/9/24- 8th Grade Trip to Washington D.C.

5/7/24- Parent Viewing of Class of 2024 Video

5/17/24 - 8th Grade Shaving Cream Fight

5/23/24- Kindergarten and 8th Grade Buddy Rose Ceremony

5/23/24- 8th Grade Luncheon with Faculty and Staff

5/23/24- Student Viewing of the Class of 2024 Video

5/23/24- 8th Grade Pool Party

5/24/24- 8th Grade Graduation

5/24/24- 8th Grade Graduation Party

Attire for Individual Portraits:

Please dress professionally and use your best judgment for your 8th grade yearbook portrait - shoes, slacks, a solid-colored button down shirt with a jacket and tie, pants suit, dress; no mini-skirts, spaghetti strap tops, or anything similar that is revealing. If you have a question about attire, contact the middle school office at msoffice@hardingacademy.us.

Graduation Attire for Graduates:

Traditionally, the students are asked to wear navy blazers, beige khaki slacks, (no cargo pants), white shirts, ties and nice leather shoes (not athletic-type shoes), or white dresses for graduation. The dresses should be white or off-white, floor length, and some form of shoulder strap is preferred to keep from adjusting throughout the ceremony. Some dresses may require a slip underneath depending upon the fabric. We also ask that all the students wear dress shoes. When choosing shoes, please remember that the floor and carpet can be cumbersome with certain types of high heels. If you have a question about attire, contact the middle school office at msoffice@hardingacademy.us.

8th Grade Graduation Festivities:

We look forward to celebrating your soon to be graduates in the spring. We will have two events where the kids can be together to celebrate, a Pool Party and Graduation Party. These events are for the kids only and Harding will provide transportation to and from these events. To make these fabulous events happen, Harding will be charging each 8th grade family $200 in the February 2024 billing cycle as we have done in the past. We will need parent volunteers to help plan these events. The parents who plan these events will also serve as the chaperones. You can sign up to volunteer to help with one of these events on Wednesday, August 30th at 7:00 PM. You will get an email at that time with a link to sign up to volunteer. We ask that you please only sign up for 1 committee to give others an opportunity to participate.

Class of 2024 Video Photo Submission Information:

The Class of 2024 Video is a photographic timeline that will remind us all of the friendships and growth that our children have experienced since Kindergarten. The video has become one of the most anticipated components of the Harding Academy experience, with special viewing parties for parents and students. Also, we will share a link to the video after the students and parents have seen it so each family may have a copy of it. To ensure each student is represented equally in the video, we need each family to submit 18 photos of your child by January 12. We cannot produce this video without your help! Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this!

Guidelines:

1. Cull through your photos from the past 9 years.

2. Choose a max of 18 photos to submit to the committee. We're looking for group and individual photos but request at least half of these be individual shots.

3. Please represent a range of years and activities. You may include things like sports (Harding & non-Harding), dance, Scouts, band/theater, summer camp, other

extracurricular activities. Please, no family photos. We’re looking for just your child, or your child with other Harding classmates. A good guideline is to submit 2 pictures of your child per grade, so your child is equally represented in each grade.

4. If your child has not been at Harding since Kindergarten, please submit photos that are representative of your child's earlier years (K-8 only; we’re not looking for baby/toddler photos). We want to ensure each 8th grader is represented equally, regardless of how long he/she has been at Harding. Again, a good guideline is to submit 2 pictures of your child per grade. We would also like to request that if you have your child’s Kindergarten school picture to please submit this additional school photo. This additional photo would be a 19th photo submission.

5. Title your photos as follows: THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT:

Title your photos as follows: grade_LastName_FirstName.jpg

1st_Smith_John.jpg;

if submitting more than one photo in same year then add A/B/C/etc:

1stA_Smith_John.jpg, 1stB_Smith_John.jpg

6. To submit photos, please email Misty White at whitem@hardingacademy.us.

We will be sending out reminders and additional information as decisions are made and appreciate your patience. In the meantime, should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.

Sincerely,

Jay Codispoti

Director of Middle School

Harding Academy

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