We have two daughters and our youngest graduated this year. Normally, you would hear that and think that we probably had it all figured out and under control since we did it all before. However, all I have to say is that our oldest graduated in 2020 and people instantly know that is not the case. It should have been our second time, but it was our first. Madeline graduated without the senior farewells and closure and ceremonies and parties that most seniors look forward to and get. She graduated by watching a recording on YouTube and then walking across a small stage on our football field to get a diploma from a member of our school board while only Keith and I watched. Maddie graduated without getting to build the set for her high school musical or compete in her underwater robotics competition or make her senior banner in the Fab Lab or hug her favorite teachers goodbye. People sent her cards and gifts from afar. She wouldn’t even get to see her grandparents (my parents) for almost a year until we were all vaccinated. It was not ideal, but it was what we could do. To say that all of us were working through that trauma while enjoying and working through the joy of Charlotte’s completely opposite experience is an understatement. We all struggled. I had a rather large amount of mom guilt. I joked that we had PTSD, but it wasn’t really a joke. This May was all the emotions amplified, all the happiness and pride mixed with the feelings of what should have been and what was taken away. It was a lot to work through for all of us, but also a wonderful and amazing gift.
So, May 2023 ended up being the month that we all worked on letting go of high school. It really started with Charlotte’s senior art show in April. We had no idea that Charlotte had this kind of artistic talent when she started high school – and now she is a Theatre Education major in college. We were so blown away with all of the art displayed – there is some crazy talent in Gahanna! Here is our girl with her senior display.
The first senior milestone in May was prom. It ended up being a bit of a fiasco because the group Charlotte went with were dancers and had a competition that day, but it all worked out. Photos were also not what we expected because the site they chose was under construction. We made the best of it, though, and I think the girls looked amazing and had a wonderful time.
Next came Newsies, where we had to work through the loss of 2 years of musicals we thought Charlotte would have. Not that we weren’t incredibly grateful that she got to participate in 2 musicals in great roles, but she had worked so hard for so long to be a part of the high school musicals, so 2 really didn’t seem like enough. However, we could not have asked for a more incredible senior show for Charlotte – she got to play the role of Finch and she danced her heart out and tap danced on a table. Everything that middle school Charlotte told us she would do someday when we saw her first production of Newsies. To say we were proud is an understatement. The cast and crew did an amazing job and we were left wishing it didn’t have to end. But, of course, it did. Here are a few actions shots of our girl and her theatre family in action.
After Newsies, everything seemed to move in fast forward. Suddenly, we were at the final day of high school for either of our girls. All those years of volunteering and boosters organizations and school drop offs and concerts and shows were coming to an end. It was a very bittersweet day for sure. Here are photos from Charlotte’s first day of kindergarten and last day of high school just because.
Charlotte’s Performance Studio had their Showcase next, and our girl acted on the high school stage with her friends for the last time. She also sang “For Good” from Wicked with a forever friend and then sang “Slipping Through My Fingers” from Mamma Mia because the girl loves making people cry with her songs I guess. They ended the night singing “From Now On” from The Greatest Showman for their director and theatre teacher because she retired at the end of the school year. They invited alumni to come back and sing, too, and it was an amazing surprise ending to a very beautiful night. I should mention here that I just traveled with a box of tissues through the entire month of May. Here are some Showcase photos.
The next day, I had the pleasure of knowing it was my very last time to do Chorale hair as Charlotte got ready for her final choir concert. They sang some beautiful songs, but I think my favorite was “Thank You for Being a Friend” from the Golden Girls. I have to admit, I really, really miss seeing our girl perform. I miss her singing in the shower and going to voice lessons and hearing her friends singing together when they are here. I was not prepared for our house to be so quiet and for our schedule to be quite so open. But this was a great concert and we were happy/sad to see her take her final bow for high school.
The final farewell we had before graduation was also probably the hardest for Keith and I. We had Charlotte’s theatre banquet where we would no longer be Performing Arts Boosters officers. That was something we had been involved in for 6 years – I was an officer for 5 of those years. But I know it is in great hands and will continue to serve the program for a long, long time. The surprise of the evening is that Charlotte came away with 2 awards. I am always proud of our girl and know that she gives her all, but having her directors and her peers both choose her for awards was an overwhelming feeling. The theatre program at GLHS had become her home, and she was so well loved there. We are so thankful. Here are a few photos of that evening.
And, suddenly, after 13 years of effort on the part of our beautiful baby girl, it was time for graduation. She and her best friend were chosen to sing the National Anthem (you can kind of see them in the first photo below) and there were speeches and dedications and send offs and then she became a high school graduate. I don’t think I was fully prepared for the chaos that would ensue outside as people tried to find each other and get photos, but it was wonderful to see all of the kids – whether we had known them since kindergarten or just gotten to know them this spring – celebrate together. It was so wonderful! I only wish that both of my girls had been able to enjoy that culmination of their efforts with their friends.
We did get to go out for lunch with our families after – Cheesecake Factory as far from Gahanna as we could get. And then we had an afternoon of open houses to attend and then prep for our party. But that is another post!
Have you ever had a child graduate from high school? What was their experience like? Let me know in the comments!
Adventure. Create. Relate 