For
more than a decade, it has been exciting to watch the annual FPEA Statewide
Graduation Ceremony grow in size and scope. What began with a handful of
students has become a weekend-long extravanganza of fun and fellowship
for hundreds of homeschooling seniors along with their family members and
friends. Graduation weekend has become a “destination event” befitting
the honor due our FPEA graduates as they mark this milestone in their parent-directed
education.
As the number
of home educators across Florida continues to grow, as does the Convention
and Graduation weekend, it becomes an increasing challenge to keep Graduation
running smoothly in a manner that best serves the graduates. With the Convention
being packed with great seminars, workshops and activities of its own,
and with Graduation weekend being a vital event held in conjunction with
the Convention, it has become increasingly difficult for family members
and friends to share the experience with the graduates
Thus, the FPEA
Board of Directors has made some schedule changes for the 2010 Graduation
weekend. The main change is that the ceremony, traditionally held on Saturday
night, will take place on Sunday morning. Graduation organizers have discovered
that the bulk of Graduation participants stay at the Convention host hotel
through Sunday morning anyway, so changing the ceremony day and time will
give them and the organizers more flexibility in attending and planning
Graduation events.
With this in
mind, the Saturday buffet dinner and dance will become a pre-Graduation
event staged at an earlier time and at a more relaxed pace. This in turn
will cause the Saturday rehearsals for the Sunday ceremony to be less of
a strain on already-extended Graduation participants
A buffet luncheon
will be held following the Sunday ceremony. Also, the charge to the graduates,
held on Friday night last year, will be restored to the ceremony itself.
This will open up more time for other activities throughout Graduation
weekend.
Homeschool graduates
have receivd the very best of what academics has to offer: time, commitment,
unconditional love and parental encouragement. Their Graduation ceremony
and weekend activities should reflect this. Therefore, the FPEA Board looks
forward to your participation in this annual event as we do everything
we can to make your weekend a memory you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
If you have questions
about this year’s changes to Graduation, please e-mail graduation@fpea.com.
Also, Graduation registrants will receive a packet of information with
detailed descriptions of all the events taking place throughout the weekend,
as well as the deadlines and policies concerning participation.
Congratulations to the FPEA Class of 2010!
You can register for Graduation today! Just click
on Pre-registerand
follow the prompts to the registration form. Graduation and Convention
registration are combined on the same form for your convenience. Once you've
registered, you'll receive an information packet about the Graduation program
and your responsibilities in preparing for the event.
The FPEA Statewide Graduation Ceremony is a time
to celebrate Florida homeschool graduates as they proudly march down the
aisle, marking a huge milestone in their education. Only FPEA members are
eligible to participate — another great reason to join the FPEA!
The Graduation experience is more
than the ceremony, though; it’s a weekend filled with activities for the
graduates and their families, all held while the Convention takes place.
For information, e-mail
graduation@fpea.com.
