This week, The New Century School claimed yet another milestone along its remarkable journey—TNCS’s fifth class of 8th-graders graduated on Wednesday, June 5th!
TNCS Head of School Erika Johnson started things off with a Welcome Address, setting a tone of pride but also grace, later emphasizing that students need to show themselves grace as they embark on what’s to come.
Some of these students have been with TNCS since the age of 2, while others enrolled at various points in their academic careers. Regardless, their hard work, dedication, and resilience brought them to this moment, and they celebrated their achievements in a moving closing ceremony, dressed all in white with the TNCS symbolic green graduation cap.
Following the processional, Ms. Johnson gave another address in which her loving regard for these students shone through. Indeed, from the very beginning, TNCS has been a nurturing environment where students have been encouraged to explore, learn, and grow. In those early years, they experienced the joy of discovery—whether it was the thrill of their first Montessori “work,” the excitement of storytime, or the creativity of art projects. These formative experiences laid the foundation for their love of learning and curiosity about the world. They enter it well-equipped.
A younger student then ascended to the podium and sang a beautiful solo, after which TNCS English Language Arts and Middle School Homeroom teacher Sierra McNeil gave remarks.
Next was everyone’s favorite part: hearing what their time at TNCS meant to them from the graduates themselves, followed by the passing of the baton to the Class of 2025, TNCS rising 8th-graders, as well as a thank-you to the hard-working and enormously caring TNCS teachers.
A surprise in the form of a special award for Service came next.
Then, as bittersweet as it gets, the 8th-graders accepted their diplomas one by one and were officially done middle school. (Sniff!)
As emotional as it can make us to say goodbye to another class of beautiful human beings, we can take comfort in looking forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for them in high school and beyond. This is also an opportunity to reflect on our time at TNCS, to think about how much we’ve all grown and learned here. The years have been filled with countless memories, friendships, and milestones that have shaped TNCS students into the people they are today.
After embracing the challenges and achievements of middle school, high school, here they come! The future is bright, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will accomplish.
