Yesterday I attended the best Graduation I have EVER been to. It was the 4th graduation for our family in the last 2 months… a little much if you ask me. But to be fair, Jefferson’s ceremony was not a ‘graduation’, instead it was called a “Bridging Ceremony.”
His school is set up by levels instead of grades. When a child advances, they “bridge” to the next level.
It was very symbolic and emotional (I’m trying to see how many times I can use the word ‘emotional’ in 1 month)
Here is a picture (I stole it from online, so the quality is poor) of the entire school, grades 1st through 8th.
Jefferson is on the bottom left… the one getting the bunny ears.
I don’t think I can clearly express how much we loved the Forest Grove Community School! It has become a new family for Jefferson. They foster such a sense of community and acceptance and each student is endeared with love by all of the staff. Jefferson has had an entire year of self-expression and nurturing that has only helped him blossom into a more incredible boy than I could ever take credit for raising. I am so sad that we are leaving this wonderful learning environment, I don’t know whether we’ll find it again. Jefferson is also sad to leave, yesterday was especially hard for him.
It was exciting to have the Bridging in the same building that Shawn had his Hooding Ceremony. It made the event so much more…. yes you guessed it…. “emotional.”
The school has a bridge that is repainted each year by the 8th grade graduates. Each student leaves their teachers and literally walks over the bridge and into the embrace of the new teachers. But before they are sent over the bridge, they are given a gift… a quality that they have exhibited over the year that they will bring with them to the next level.
Here is Jefferson with his teacher, Ms. Karen.
“Jefferson, the Swallows send you with the gift of Creativity”
Here he is walking over the bridge….
And joining the new class. Of course he’ll be in a new state and not with these teachers for 3rd grade. But it was acknowledged that walking over the bridge is symbolic of going anywhere new.
Then the entire school sang a song called, “The Circle Game.” (you should listen to it if you never have before). Jefferson described the song to us… “it’s about being on a Carousel, with the moving horses you know? And it goes around and around. And you can’t turn back, but you can look back if you want. But you can only move forward. Just like life.” He explained it perfectly. This is the chorus:
"And the seasons they go 'round and 'round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game”
It’s a truly beautiful song, and so symbolic about growing up.
Which is what Jefferson is doing. He is moving on to a new state and will make new friends.
If this sounds overly dramatic…. trust me, it’s not. I am only expressing things this way because this is how Jefferson is expressing them. All this life change is effecting him hard. I was scared he would burst into tears the entire day yesterday.
Here he is saying goodbye to Karen. See… tears are going to burst any second.
Before heading out to lunch, we stopped by his class garden so he could take it all in one more time. He took his time walking around, picking beans, and showing us some of the things he’s planted…. 
My handsome boy. He insisted on having his picture taken in front of a “monkey puzzle” tree.…
Just like the song say…. “we can’t return, we can only look behind.” He has asked me several times if he can visit his school when we come back to Oregon. Of course, I tell him…. but going forward will bring so many more enriching experiences. I keep telling him this whenever he mentions missing friends and his school. I think he may have a dose of his mother in him.
I’m sure he and I will both have to be dragged into the car kicking and screaming… then tied to our seats in order to get us out of here in 2 weeks!
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