Today our firstborn grandchild, Alison, graduated from High School. It was a graduation to remember. You may or may not know that Alison has been home schooled her entire education up to this point. If you have never attended a home school graduation and get the opportunity, please go. It is a very meaningful, family oriented event. For the past four years Alison has attended Koininia, an organized home school group that offers a curriculum that is accredited to award a high school diploma. Parents teach most of the classes, combining their collective specialty areas, and students supplement the courses they take at Koininia with other courses they take at home. So, if a parent is fluent in Spanish, he or she might offer a Spanish language course, and another parent, who may be proficient in another content area, would teach that course to a small group of students. If enough students need a particular subject area, such as an upper level math course, a qualified teacher might be hired to teach that course. When I tell people that Alison and all her siblings have been home schooled since day one, I continue to get the response (or something similar to) "but what about socialization?" If you have ever met Alison, you would know that she is one of the most outgoing and "social" people you will ever encounter, as are all the Turner kids.
You will see here a few pics from the ceremony this morning and tonight's celebration party. Each student that graduates prepares a display table of things that are significant to them personally. Being the photographer that she is, Alison's table was primarily a collage of photos. Alison was especially proud of the fact that both her sets of grandparents and her great grandmother were able to attend the day's events.
As each individual student came forward a previously recorded videotape of personal comments and thank yous by each student was played. Following that each received their diploma. Today, when it was Alison's turn to receive her diploma, it was not a principal or headmaster that presented it to her and each other student. It was the parents, (in her case, Kim and Jimmy), that stood with her on the stage, each of them giving personal comments expressing their pride and joy in her many and varied accomplishments. She has done so many things to be proud of, and is a true leader within her peer group as well as her church. For now, her plans are to attend Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida next year to study communication, youth work, or mission work. Who knows what the future holds? Our entire family is excited to see where the future will take her. Congratulations Alison, we love you!
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