This past week, Kemper finished up his 2nd year of preschool at The Youth Academy. They held a graduation ceremony at a local church on Saturday the 11th. There are 4 pre-K classes at TYA and each class performed a song as part of the ceremony.
The entire group of graduates.
They began the ceremony by marching in to a cadence of:
"Everywhere we go,
People want to know,
Who we are,
So we tell them...
WE ARE PRE-K AT THE YOUTH ACADEMY!
That's where we learn,
ABCs, 123s,
our shapes & numbers,
how our world turns,
at THE YOUTH ACADEMY!"
The followed that up with a rousing rendition of Grand Ole Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Kemper receiving his diploma from Mrs. Hope and Mrs. Stephanie (Owners/Principals)
After everyone had received their diplomas they brought all of the kids back on stage for one more song then invited everyone to stick around for cake!
Gavin and Kemper with their teacher, Ms. Tricia.
Gavin and Kemper have been in the same class for the last year and a half (ever since Gavin and his family moved to the area!). They'll attend the same kindergarten next year but I think it may be a big adjustment for them to not be in the same class (of course it's possible but with 8 classes, the chances are slim!).
Kemper and Mrs. Coco
When we moved to Tennessee, I started looking for a school that offered part time care so that Kemper could meet some other kids his age. A friend mentioned The Youth Academy so James, Kemper and I went one afternoon to take a tour and get more information. There was a sweet teacher sitting in the lobby waiting for her husband to pick her up (it was snowy and yucky that day) and she started talking to Kemper and playing with him while we were getting more information. We chatted with her for a few minutes and found out that she would be Kemper's teacher if we decided to start him at TYA. Mrs. Coco was his teacher for the first year and then she moved into an administrative position but we still saw her daily. She was so great with him when he was scared those first few days and over the course of three years she always seemed to have a soft spot for Kemper. She was always at the front desk with a smile and warm welcome. Kemper made her a special card to give her on graduation day and I just couldn't hold back the tears as he said goodbye. I will miss seeing her smiling face in the mornings. She was such a blessing to our family over the years at TYA!
Gavin and Kemper checking out their diplomas.
Quick family picture. Hudson was a wild beast throughout the ceremony. It took about 2 hours from start to finish due to all of the shuffling kids on and off stage between class performances. He had missed his nap and was just a wild child. Since we were a glutton for punishment, we decided to take Kemper out for lunch to celebrate and let him pick the restaurant. His choice was Buffalo Wild Wings which was loud enough to mask the sound of Hudson's protests. I scarfed down my food and then Hudson and I waited in the car while James and Kemper finished up.
All in all it was a great morning and we're so proud of Kemper! He is so excited for Kindergarten and didn't seem phased at all to be finished at The Youth Academy. There was a hint of sadness on Monday morning when he asked if it was a school day and I reminded him that he was on summer break and didn't go to TYA anymore but he rebounded quickly and hasn't mentioned it anymore. It's been an interesting couple of days adjusting to having both boys at home full time but we've got lots of fun things on our schedule for the summer and I'm looking forward to soaking up the time with my sweet boys!
