This is a special time of year for seniors of any school to enjoy the culmination of their academic career with their graduation. For anyone who has endured a significant academic process it is a major life achievement that sets the course for the next steps to their future.
Imagine though, if you have been told during your junior high or high school years that you may not be on a path to graduation. For students who struggle with mental health issues, learning issues, behavior issues, addictions, or the impact of trauma, they live in the shadow of not finding an academic environment where they can succeed and eventually graduate. While the normal progress of most students in their school are headed towards graduation, they realize that they may not be included in their celebrated graduation class.
At Lakeside, we have four different schools each having their own graduation ceremonies. Yet, these are not the typical graduations. These are events that recognize our students’ ability to overcome serious life issues while achieving academic goals as they meet the qualification for a high school diploma. This achievement is far beyond passing their tests, writing papers and doing assignments – they have learned to create a completely different direction in their lives through a therapeutic process that embraces their whole being emotionally, relationally and academically. They have learned a level of acceptance, normalcy and progress that they never dreamed possible.
We ask some of our graduating students to share their life experience in their graduation speeches. Listening to their stories is absolutely inspirational! Most often they share their dramatic profile upon entering our schools. They include a description of their journey of extreme changes as they describe their personal transformation. The shift is dramatic and full of drastic changes that they had to make in almost every sphere of their life. They give credit both to themselves, their parents, their classmates and to the teachers and counselors who made a major difference in their lives. They acknowledge that without their admission to and ensuing process at Lakeside, they would not be graduating.
As I look around the room at these graduations, I see relieved and proud parents and family members who were supporting their child through it all. I see school district representatives who are so grateful for their choice to refer their student to Lakeside. Our staff also enjoy their accomplishments with such appreciation for all that their students have gone through. Everyone in the room recognizes that this graduation is unique, dynamic and transformative.
Graduation in one of Lakeside’s Schools is so much more than academic achievements. It is a time to celebrate lives that are transformed by an intentional and meaningful process guided by a committed, compassionate and professional staff. These staff members have enduring patience, persistence, compassion and innovation in how they approach their students in order to ensure that this graduation is possible.
I am so very proud of our students, their families and our staff as we all celebrate our mission to help students find success through a significant process of life transformation. Their graduation is a community effort that shows we can make a difference and change the course of the lives of our students in a profound and promising way.
If you’d like to tune in to any of our graduations, the livestream links are provided below. If the event date has passed, the links will take you to the recordings. We hope you will join us in hearing the stories and celebrating the accomplishments of our amazing Lakeside seniors!
Lakeside Girls Academy – May 29, 1pm (recording)
Souderton Vantage Academy – June 2, 1pm
Upper Merion Vantage Academy – June 3, 1pm
Lakeside School – June 5, 10am
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
