Last Tuesday, January 6th, Midlothian High School welcomed back the IB class of 2025 in an exciting celebration of their completion of the academic program.
While the alumni walked the stage with their non-IB peers last May, they did not know whether they earned their IB Diploma or not until a few months later. Subsequently, Midlo holds a reunion and celebration of each graduating class’s IB-specific efforts each January.
The ceremony began with remarks from Mr. Jones and Dr. Abel, along with notes from alumna Eva Chenault and IB teacher of the year, Ms. Daugherty. Mr. Jones and Dr. Abel championed the extensive efforts of the IB alumni in their declaration of pride in their accomplishment in completing the program and truly making the most of their time at Midlo. Furthermore, Chenault, nominated by her peers to speak, discussed how well the foundations laid and habits formed by the IB Programme prepared her and her peers for success in their collegiate endeavors and beyond.
Following Chenault, Ms. Daugherty, IB Teacher of the Year (Applications and Interpretations Mathematics), discussed her dynamic journey to becoming a math teacher. She then explained her fulfillment within her profession, being able to see firsthand how the nature of IB’s collaborative learning practices can cultivate a deeper understanding within a subject that, even she admits, can be extremely demanding.
Speaking with Ms. Daugherty revealed that, in writing her speech for the event, she wanted to reflect upon the ample time that she spent with the IB class of 2025, “thinking about what that time meant for [her] and what [she misses] most about teaching them.” She additionally described her affinity for the ceremony, stating, “Every person [having] their moment of individual time” makes it a special, important event to commemorate the individual journeys of each student to get to graduation.
Following the initial commentaries, the graduates were called in alphabetical order and walked across the auditorium stage to receive their official IB results and possibly their IB diploma, depending on their performance on their final exams.
Once the ceremony concluded, the alumni and their families were invited to the closed commons for a brief reception of cake and catching up. When asked about the event, class of 2025 alum Will Jackson shared, “It feels weird, especially after being in college for a semester, but it’s really nice to see people,” concluding that observing the faculty and underclassmen now was a confirmation of “a great legacy.”
While the ceremony primarily focused on celebrating Midlo’s IB alumni, all current IB students were also invited to reinforce the light at the end of the tunnel within the rigor of the program with which many juniors and seniors may currently be struggling. IB junior Camila Flakas even stated, “I felt more empowered” following the ceremony in that it gave her newfound motivation in her academic ability within the program.
