Below, click on the photos below to enjoy the Senior Speeches, given by each student. We will add highlight photos from Graduation, and the Graduation Ceremony once they’ve been edited. We’ve also included a copy of all the Seniors’ speeches at the bottom, in case you would like to download them and follow along as you watch their videos.
Thanks to the Prom Program Committee and to all who worked to make this year’s High School Prom the extraordinary event it was! A Mardi Gras theme, dinner catered by Spiros Restaurant, a photo booth, and ice cream by Lugia’s added to the festivities. All the students, parents and teachers who came looked awesome! Below, take a peek at the action that took place on Saturday, May 21 and for more photos from the prom, visit our facebook gallery!
Each year on the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend, Hope Hall’s students, teachers and staff take a one mile Walk for Hope around the community in which the school is located. Following the walk, everyone returns to school for a picnic, followed by a field day with sports, games, chalk drawing, prizes and more.
For many of our students, this is one of their favorite days of the year.
Our fifth grade students are so enthusiastic about the Walk for Hope that they created business plans, made handcrafted items, and sold them in school on May 13, raising $400 for their class’ Walk for Hope Campaign
In the May newsletter, Sister Diana Dolce put out a call for “Sole Mates” for our students…supporters who would make a donation to assist students who have been challenged to make the $100 or more that each participant is asked to raise.
We thank the many, many “Sole Mates” who contributed funds to help these students achieve their goals, as well as the donors who sent in gift cards, or funds to be used to purchase gift cards that will be used as prizes for students who reach or exceed their goals
We also send an ENORMOUS thanks out to our Community Supporters!
If you haven’t already, and would like to get involved in our Walk for Hope, there’s still time to create a team or individual page and raise funds for the Walk for Hope. You can also become a “Sole Mate” to students striving to achieve their goal of $100 or more, or donate gift cards that will be used as thank you gifts for students achieving their goal. Simply click this link for more information on the Walk for Hope.
Please take a look at the video below in which Sister Diana thanks our many “Sole Mates” who are helping our students achieve their $100 goal, and shares the importance of this walk to our school and our students.
Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad is a wordless picture book by author Henry Cole that is done in beautiful line drawings showing the story of a young girl who helps a runaway slave.
Ms. Kayla Swan used the book as inspiration to have her 9th Grade ELA students write their own version of the story, sharing what they thought was happening in the book. Each had an opportunity to read his story in front of the class, practicing public speaking skills while sharing his creativity. The stories were well-developed with smooth transitions and rich detail. While all of the stories shared the common thread of a young girl helping a runaway slave, the variety of interpretations was fascinating.
The readings inspired the idea to have the students work on a collaborative version in which the group picked out favorite parts from each student’s story to include, harmonizing certain elements, such as the girl’s and the cat’s name, across all sections.
At that point, Hope Hall’s Marketing Manager Ms. Carol White Llewellyn recorded the story, with each student narrating the section he wrote, to create the video book embedded below entitled The Girl Who Helped the Underground Railroad.
The students enjoyed a viewing party on Monday, April 11, complete with popcorn, while discussing the results and commenting on how different they sound in a recording than when they hear their own voices. They’re looking forward to sharing the story with family and friends.
The day before Christmas break, students and staff gathered in three separate groups to avoid crowding, in Hope Hall’s Cafeteria for the school’s first-ever Poetry Slam. The event was the brainchild of Ms. Megan Combs, and was a collaborative project of the entire ELA team, who worked with students to explore the various elements of poetry, including rhyme, figurative language, similes, metaphors and imagery. It was made even more festive with the addition of popcorn and cocoa, that everyone enjoyed!
While a few of the students developed pieces they’d already had in the works, for most students, this was an opportunity to explore new territory, without fear of ridicule. The event gave each
student an opportunity to use their voice in self-expression, and to feel empowered.
In the booklet below, you’ll find an assortment of Acrostic, Blackout and Free Style poetry created by Hope Hall students, along with photos from the event. Click here to view our facebook album to view additional photos.
Many thanks to all the students who participated and to the teachers who worked with them for this event, sharing the gift of poetry with the school.
Congratulations to Hope Hall student Tahesha McMullen who won 1st place in the Gates Fire District Headquarter’s Fire Escape Plan Contest. As a result of preparing and practicing the best plan, Tahesha got to ride to school on the Gates Fire Department Firetruck on Monday, December 6. The wet, drizzly rain didn’t stop her enthusiasm! In addition to receiving an Award of Accomplishment from the Gates Fire District Headquarters, Tahesha also won a breakfast party for her class! The Fire Chief also reminded all students how important it is to lay out a fire escape plan with your family, and to practice it, so everyone knows how to escape in case of a fire.
We also congratulate Jeremiah Nesmith, who was Runner Up, for the terrific plan he created!
In December’s Newsletter, Sister Diana talks about the fact that isolation has become a way of life, and she encourages connection and community. She goes on to point out that “It is not by accident that candles and light play a big part in this time of year,” including Advent candles, Hanukkah candles, and Kwanzaa candles, to pierce the darkness, both environmental and societal.
She goes on to say each of us has the ability to become “points of light and hope,” connecting people, acting in positive, selfless ways, and becoming a force for good.
Also in this issue, you will find:
In mid-November, Mrs. Claus came all the way from the North Pole for Experience Hope, where she discovered the magic of Hope Hall’s Woodworking Center, and how Hope Hall’s upcoming One-Day Woodworking Sale on December 11 supports the Center in its mission to provide academic and career skills for Hope Hall’s students. Leave it to Sister Diana to give such a great tour, and the staff and volunteers to have made such beautiful products, that Mrs. Claus had visions of new Adirondack Chairs dancing in her head by the time the tour was over!
