Commencement Requirements
To walk at Commencement on May 18th most of the items on the following checklist must be completed by Saturday, March 10th. There are eight items on the checklist.
Read them all now to assure you are ready.
Graduation is a great time, and, at Families of Faith, it is very personal. This means there are things we will need from every parent and student who is going to participate.
The cost of Commencement is $100, and includes the student’s Cap and Gown, padded Diploma Cover, and all costs associated with the ceremony.
Commencement Checklist
1)_____Measurements for Caps and Gowns. The $100 graduation fee is required at this time. Caps & Gowns are royal purple in color and come with one tassel, which is purple and gold.
(Additional tassels can be ordered at a cost of $4.00 each.)
•We need the student's height and approximate weight.
2)____Senior Picture. The final slide show at graduation includes a “formal picture” of the senior. Traditionally, that means in a tux for the guys or drape for the ladies. Some prefer not to use the "traditional" setting for their picture, which is fine; however, the picture must be "formal." You must dress up and the picture you use must be of adequate quality.
This slide show will be shown on a large screen in front of two or three thousand people. You do not have to spend hundreds of dollars on a professional picture package, but please dress the part, comb your hair, etc. We will allow Senior Pictures to be turned in as late as March 30th, so get on the phone and schedule the photo shoot now.
Most photography studios will do a graduation package. Most public schools have a contract with a specific studio because the studio pays a kick back to the school. We do not. Call around and compare prices to find the best studio for you. An example is
K.Elizabeth Photography (one of our graduates) which offers a two hour photo shoot, including a CD of all edited photos for a very reasonable price.
kelizabethphoto@gmail.com or 863-224-3044
3)_____Childhood Memories Pictures. These pictures are used for the Childhood Memories slide show. Six to eight of the student growing up from birth to the present are needed. They will be shown in a slide show with all of the students growing in age with music in the background. Spread the pictures out. We want to see them over time. Do not pick all high school, or all baby pictures, as only one picture of a student at the same age will be used. That sixteenth year was great, but we want to see our graduates growing up.
The pictures must be in jpeg format. If you scan them yourself, they should be at 300 x 300 or larger resolution as they will be projected on a large screen. If you do not have a scanner, you can go to Walmart, Walgreens, etc. to have the pictures scanned and copied on a CD. Please note the approximate age of the student in each photo, so we can show them in order. (Your best guess is better than ours.)
4)_____Parents' Recording. The recording will be played in the background as the student and parents are on the stage. (The parents hand the student his/her diploma.) This is your chance to tell your children how proud you are of them, your hopes and dreams for their futures. A life verse will be an encouragement to them. A ten second "I love you, proud of you." will not do the job. So, get to work now, jotting down some notes about what they should hear from you on this very special night of their lives. But Keep In Mind That Recordings should Be kept to about one minute. This includes all parents or family members who wish to be on the recording. (We can record parents at different times and put them together for the final tape.)
Recording will be conducted at the Families of Faith Christian Academy office only. This will assure that the volume, tone and quality of each parent is consistant and will play well on graduation night. You will get to hear your recording when completed and can have all of the "re-do's" you need. Make a note of the scheduled times; call the office if one of these Saturdays will not work for you, and we will try to accommodate your schedule.
Families of Faith Christian Academy
4406 South Florida Ave Suite 20D
Lakeland FL 33813
January 28 10:00-2:00
February 25 2:00-6:00
March 10 10:00-2:00
(This is the last Saturday to do a recording; no recording, no walking)
5)____Graduation Announcements. The group order will be submitted at the end of business on March 12th.
This includes Announcements, Name Cards, Extra Tassels.
Announcements: $1.85 per card (including envelopes)
Name cards: White card, black ink
Box of 50: $25.00
Box of 100: $83.00
6)_____Dress Code: We do need to mention that there is a dress code for the seniors. While we want this to be an enjoyable occasion for you, please remember that it is a formal setting. Therefore, please abide by the following guidelines, remembering that inappropriate attire will result in your either not participating in the ceremony you have worked so hard for, or waiting while someone runs home to bring you back the proper clothing. Thank you in advance.
LADIES: Dress, or blouse with dress slacks or skirt. No shorts, t-shirts, blue jeans, flip flops or tennis shoes. The height of your shoe depends on how well you can navigate a series of stairs to and from the stage without tumbling under the front pews.
GENTLEMEN: Dress shirt and slacks; ties are optional. No shorts, t-shirts, blue jeans, flip flops or tennis shoes.
7)____ Rehearsal is at Noon on the day of graduation, May 18th at Victory Church
One or both parents must attend the rehearsal so that they know what to do that evening.
Seniors must be back at the church (dressed in the proper attire) no later than 6:30 p.m. for the group picture, and the ceremony will start promptly at 7 p.m.
8)____ All student accounts must be paid in full by March 30th, or we will have no choice but to remove the student from the commencement walking list.
Back to Diploma Requirements Page
Bright Futures Requirements Page
Calendar of Important Dates Page