GRADUATION

[goosemods]

GRADUATION

This is it. Graduation. The end. Whether you're dreading it or ready to never see Gooseberry again, you can't avoid today. Congratulations, Class of 2014.

• The ceremony begins at 2:00 PM, followed by a concert.


• After the concert, students and family will mingle for congratulations, reunions and photos.


• Everyone will return to Gooseberry by 7:00 PM for a late dinner. Students will be reminded to pack their things because tomorrow they'll be going home on the buses.


• All seniors and members of choir must be in attendance, but younger years are not required to go.


• The ceremony is taking place off-campus at an outdoor amphitheater.


• Graduates will walk in black robes with large hoods, with lining in their house color. Prefects and honor students will wear special sashes indicating their achievements. Students are allowed to reasonably customize their robes by wearing extra scarves, sashes, pins, etc. with cultural significance.


• Nathaniel Bird is the class valedictorian, Quinn Cunningham is the salutatorian.


• Is my character an honors student? This is up to you. If you've established your character as a high achiever with good grades, you may claim they graduated with honors.

» Before the ceremony: Backstage everyone nervously puts on their graduation robes and wishes one another good luck.

» the ceremony: The valedictorian and salutatorian are introduced by Headmistress Bloom, and they give their speeches. After that, the graduates go up on stage one by one.

» the concert: Mackenzie Prince with Iliya Krum, Solomon Webb, Kazim Raza with Dahlia Hale, Harriet Cohen, Antonia Papadakis, and Levi Kramer all give performances, followed by a number by the entire choir. Cameron Carney has a solo in the big closing number.

» afterwards: Friends and family mill about to congratulate the graduates. Parents, siblings and friends may be in attendance.

» yearbook signings: Post your character here with the form below, and then other characters can come and leave what they wrote in their yearbook! Make sure to put their name in the subject line so people can find them. This is for all students, not just seniors! You can assume this has been taking place over the last few days.

Name:
Yearbook Quote: Did they choose a yearbook quote?
Anything Else?: Are they seeking a signature from someone in particular? Do you want to describe how their yearbook photo looks?

<b>Name:</b> <b>Yearbook Quote:</b> Did they choose a yearbook quote? <b>Anything Else?:</B> Are they seeking a signature from someone in particular? Do you want to describe how their yearbook photo looks?

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

Comments

BEFORE THE CEREMONY

[goosemods]

Cecil & Open (Multiple)

[choneychurch]

Cecil is definitely going to cry today. He can't help that he's a big softy and that a ceremony like this one is designed to pull every one of his delicate heartstrings. For now, though, he's managing to keep it together. Mostly. He straightens his robes (lined with Azurcrest blue and decorated with two sashes -- one for being a prefect and one for being an honor student -- and the adorable owl pin he'd received from Dahlia) and pulls in a breath. He tries to look like he's calm. He isn't, but the feelings that're making his heart race aren't all bad. He's as excited as he is terrified. And he figures that's probably about how he's supposed to feel.

Friends and fellow jays and people in general will likely be getting hugs and congratulations from him all afternoon. Sorry, everyone. He just has a lot of feelings and he's so proud of you all!

Robin (OPEN)

[hisshiss]

Backstage before the ceremony, Robin can be seen fiddling with the sleeve of his robe a lot, and anyone kind of near him can hear him hiss things like, "Hey, cut that shit out," and, "The fuck you tryna see anyway? Ain't shit to see out here."

Because Robin brought Virgil to graduation, and he might even have his own little cap stuck to his head.

Tabitha and Open (multiple)

[caritasmitis]

Tabitha is another one who is definitely going to cry today, a mix of happy tears because she's so proud of everyone, and sad tears because she's going to really miss this place. Wearing her robes, the owl pin from Dahlia (which she is totally keeping forever) and a badge one of the younger kids made for her celebrating her tenure as Ribbonfin cheer captain, she makes her way around her friends in all four houses to give them a hug, with personal greetings for all of them. She spends the most time with Nate, of course, but probably even goes over to have words with Diego and Anuhea, just to put a line under everything for the future...

THE CEREMONY

[goosemods]

The Salutatory Speech

[quinning]

While Quinn's awash in that weird, nostalgic mix of sadness and excitement, it's difficult to tell as she straightens her cue cards on the podium and smiles at the crowd. This is Business Quinn. Public Quinn. Daycare Quinn. Daycare Quinn stomps Uncomfortable Feel-y Quinn waaay down where she can't be heard or seen. Daycare Quinn has a speech to give and goddammit, she's going to do it without her smile faltering, and without anything getting caught in her throat. Just watch her.

"Good afternoon, please stand if you're able." she beckons the audience to their feet by raising her palms. Someone raises a hand to their heart, expecting the national anthem. There's no anthem, nor does Quinn begin the sort of introduction for which one would stand. Without further instruction, she begins her speech. "Guardians, parents, siblings, relations, friends, and stragglers, it's my honour to welcome you to the graduation ceremony for Gooseberry Alternative High School's Class of 2014. Thank you for coming all this way to watch us wear big hats and receive pieces of paper that read 'Go get 'em, Tiger — you're an adult!'

"When Nate and I decided that the salutatory should reflect on our time at Gooseberry and the valedictory should look ahead, I thought 'Ah-ha! All I need to do is reminisce, while Nate shares his astute insights about our futures! I got the easy job!'" With a sheepish smile, she shrugs. "I was wrong. As I began to write, I realized to my horror that the speech was becoming longer than one of Ms. Rhee's tests. Then a dear friend reviewed my draft and bestowed upon me the most difficult task of all: to make this speech meaningful without resorting to a single sports metaphor. This is, indeed, an institution that challenges its charges."

She can see some bewildered faces in the crowd. Others realize that they've been had and shake their heads, sit back down. It's a battle to keep her smile from turning into a grin. "We've had the privilege to spend our formative time—whether four years or four months—as members of a community that showed us how to explore, and then conquer, the limits of what we thought ourselves capable. The friends and family we've chosen at Gooseberry have given us the strength to investigate, achieve, and grow further than I think any of us expected when we arrived on the bus freshman year. Whether we composed a new song or learned about the consequences of physics by tobogganing behind a certain camp, each experience was enriched by the people around us.

"Each of you is here today for a reason. I would like to thank the the staff, for whom each interaction seems to be an opportunity to teach and encourage. I would also like to thank our family members and guests, because your support helped us achieve the extraordinary.

"Tonight we pack our trunks with everything we forgot to burn at the Solstice bonfire, and tomorrow we board the bus for our final ride home. Within months we'll have scattered ourselves across the globe. The winding pathways of adulthood may seem intimidating now, but we're equipped to succeed because we've come to understand what we can accomplish when we allow ourselves to depend on one another, like Gretzky on his wingers. Thank you." Quinn takes two steps toward stairs before she feigns remembering something she forgot, and returns to the microphone to add, "Please be seated."

The Valedictory Speech

[birdbrainy]

Nate is not much of a speech-giver, and as he approaches the microphone, he seems hesitant, and more than a little nervous. “Hi everyone. Don't worry, you can stay seated,” he says, a small, polite smile on his face. “I, uh, I hope you’re having a good graduation. It’ll be over soon, I promise. In no time at all, really, we’ll be done, and the Class of 2014 will no longer be students at Gooseberry Alternative High School. We’ll be adults, unleashed on this world whether they’re ready for us or not.”

He takes a deep breath, the nerves seeping out and his shoulders relaxing as he continues to speak. “Which is scary. Not for the rest of the world, they’re the lucky ones. This is a great class destined for great things. Terrifyingly great, even. Some of us will be Aurors, or Healers, famous athletes or musicians or bank-robbing ballerinas—you know, the usual stuff. One of us will be President. Another one is definitely going to destroy our current concepts of space and time.

“It’s scary for us, who now have to live up to these expectations, and meet those lofty goals of fame and riches and happiness.”

Another sheepish smile. “Sorry if you were fine until right now and I just made it worse.

“But if you are scared out of your mind right now, that’s okay. Because, as my grandpa once told me, ‘Life is terrifying.’” Nate clears his throat and straightens his already very straight index cards. “That’s it. That’s all he said. It was a weird thing to say to a five-year-old on his first day of kindergarten. But then, as Nelson Mandela said, courage is ‘not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’

“You might be scared right now--scared to take the road less traveled because there’s no one to lead the way, or the one so heavily traveled you don’t know how or where to make your mark. You might be afraid to fail. But no great bank-robbing ballerina ever let that stop them.

“Be afraid, Gooseberry, but also face your fears, head on. Fail, and fail spectacularly on your way to the top. Lose your first election, crash and burn at your first professional tryout, break the space-time continuum, then get up and go again. We are the Class of 2014, and we are ready to terrify this world with our greatness.”

Casper

[casperkim]

Outside of his cabin, most of Casper's closest friends are seniors and it's not particularly unexpected that he'd attend graduation. He's proud of Asher and Rafael and Leo for all that they've accomplished. He knows that they'll make the world a slightly less fucked up place by leaving school and becoming a real part of it. But. It's still difficult for him to watch them walk across the stage and think about next year without them. For now, though, he focuses on the ceremony and on applauding and smiling in all the right places and the words that he'll say to them after. He's going to see them off properly, at least.

THE CONCERT

[goosemods]

Harry

[outerspaced]

Does a soothing cover of the Jurassic Park Theme on her harp.

Kenzie & Iliya

[princeprincess]

Mackenzie on vocals and Iliya on his cello perform a rendition of Young and Beautiful.

Nia

[heyitsnia]

In her typical high energy style, Nia performs an arrangement of Don't Stop Me Now for the senior class.

Kazim & Dahlia

[dollywould]

Kazim lays down a sick solo bassoon beat while Dahlia freestyles over it.

At one point she declares herself the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Cameron

[gonnabefamous]

For it's closing number, the choir performs Seasons of Love from Rent, and Cameron does Joanne's solo.

Levi

[gdilevi]

Levi performs a cover of Children of the Stars by The Orion Experience. He wears a pair of hideous sunglasses and his sparkly suit jacket for his performance. ALL EYES ON HIM, PLEASE, THX!!!

AFTERWARDS

[goosemods]

Re: AFTERWARDS

[caritasmitis]

Tabitha is present along with her dad, who can't resist mingling with other MACUSA peeps in attendance, and her mother, who makes a big fuss out of all of Tabitha's friends. She's holding hands with Nate and mingling with their friends a lot, but she's determined to say hi and hug as many people there as possible, as well as getting yearbook signings!

YEARBOOK SIGNINGS

[goosemods]

Laurel

[kingofthefairies]

Name: Laurel
Yearbook Quote: It's ... just a bunch of exclamation points.
Anything Else?: Her photo looks like she's struggling not to laugh.

Z

[potionz]

Name: Zoey
Yearbook Quote: "But there is no Shakespeare, there is no Beethoven; certainly and emphatically there is no God; we are the words; we are the music; we are the thing itself." — Virginia Woolf
Anything Else?: She's more emotional here than she's been all year. She'll flit from person to person, being far more showy with her feelings and nostalgia than is usual. She wants to sign every yearbook, even of people she's barely interacted with outside of class. :( ♥

Ivy

[duelled]

Name: Ivy Templeton
Yearbook Quote: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." — Eleanor Roosevelt.
Anything Else?: I imagine she picked this quote a few months ago and she's absolutely gonna look back on it and have a hearty laugh down the road. Not this weekend. But eventually.

Diego

[indiefolk]

Name: Diego Morales
Yearbook Quote: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." – Oscar Wilde
Anything Else?: Diego is liable to get way too sentimental when signing yearbooks. He also might draw snakes and lizards.

Leo Fiori

[ninjaleo]

Name:Leonardo Fiori
Yearbook Quote: "You can't win unless you learn how to lose" - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Anything Else?: He will be quite reticent about the fact he even has a yearbook until he slides it into people's faces. Good luck

Rafael

[firstposition]

Name: Rafael Ramirez
Yearbook Quote: "Merece lo que sueñas." — Octavio Paz
Anything Else?: He looks typically tense in his photo, although he's at least smiling. Rafael struggles a little to express himself while signing yearbooks but... he'll try.

🎓 OOC - Questions, comments, concerns! 🎓

[goosemods]

Re: 🎓 OOC - Questions, comments, concerns! 🎓

[indiefolk]

SORRY THIS IS SO LATE :(