There is much to accomplish before the Class of 2025 gets to walk across the stage with their diplomas! See below for details.
Caps and Gowns
Families buy caps and gowns for their senior’s graduation (a total cost of $29.95). Cap and gown sizes and payment must be submitted no later than Friday, April 4, 2025. We will take care of ordering the caps and gowns from our provider.
Use the link here or on the graduation webpage to submit your size. The payment of $29.95 can be made using a credit card online here or by cash or check at the front desk.
Diploma Names
All senior parents must submit their scholar’s full legal name exactly as they’d like it to appear on their diploma using this form by April 30th, 2025. Please do not use any nicknames and double check your spelling. Contact Ms. Oostindie (megan.oostindie@greatheartstxschools.org) with questions.
Senior Banquet
Thursday, May 8th, 6:30 – 9:30pm
Nancy Watten Technology and Event Center
455 E. La Villita Boulevard, Irving
Each senior will be honored with a short speech from a faculty member.
Dinner will be provided for Seniors.
For parents, chicken and vegetarian options are available for purchase. The dress code for the evening is semi-formal.
Graduation Tickets
Tickets to the Class of 2025 Graduation Ceremony are free and are available here. Final ticket requests must be submitted by May 9th, 2025. So we can plan accordingly, all attendees must have a reserved ticket. Please reach out to Mr. David Eschrich (david.eschrich@greatheartstxschools.org) with any questions.
Graduation Announcements and Invitations
While GHI will not be furnishing announcements or invitations, families are more than welcome to create announcements or invitations (or both) for those in attendance via a third party service.
We recommend visiting vistaprint.com, minted.com, or simplytoimpress.com for options.
Senior Finals
Final exams will be held on Wednesday, May 21, and Thursday, May 22. Each exam will be preceded by a study hall. Once the seniors have finished their exams on Wednesday, May 21st, they will meet with the leadership team to receive their caps, gowns, and honor cords for the Commencement Ceremony. At the end of exams on Thursday, time will be set aside for them to empty and clean out their lockers.
Senior Walk
To end their last school day at Great Hearts Irving, seniors will don their caps and gowns and tour the campus as their 6-11th grade peers and the faculty/staff line the halls and cheer them on. After this walk, the Seniors will travel to the Lower School and walk through their hallways. All Seniors must report to campus by 7:30 AM, dressed in the Commencement attire they received on Wednesday afternoon. We will begin the walk at 8:00 AM sharp. After both walks, seniors are dismissed until the Graduation Rehearsal Friday evening.
Senior Brunch
After completing the Senior Walk, the seniors will gather on the Beatrice Turf for a meal together. We’ll enjoy brunch, take photos, sign yearbooks, and receive final instructions for Graduation Rehearsal.
Graduation Rehearsal
Graduation rehearsal will be held at Irving Bible Church at 4:00 PM on Friday, May 23rd. Students are encouraged to dress in business casual attire. During rehearsal, we will walk through each step of the program so candidates can relax and enjoy their commencement exercises. The rehearsal will conclude no later than 5:30 PM.
Commencement
Saturday, May 24th
Irving Bible Church
All candidates must arrive by 8:45 AM.
Commencement will begin promptly at 10:00 AM.
Our 2025 Commencement speaker is Mr. Andrew Ellison. Mr. Ellison currently serves as the Vice President of Enrollment Management at the University of Dallas, where he joined the staff in the summer of 2023. He served first as Director of the University’s Saint Ambrose Center, an outreach program to K-12 schools in the classical, liberal arts tradition. Prior to coming to the University of Dallas, Mr. Ellison was a founder and guiding light of Great Hearts for the better part of three decades, starting as a teacher in 1997 at the Tempe Preparatory Academy in Arizona, the first classical, liberal arts charter school in the entire state, and one of the first such schools in the country. At Tempe Prep, he taught Latin, German, Poetry, Drama, and three different levels of Humane Letters. After teaching for 6 years, he was chosen to be the founding headmaster of Veritas, the pioneering school in what eventually became Great Hearts. In 2013 he began his work in the GH home office supporting and selecting headmasters and bringing his understanding of liberal arts education to the wider network, first in Arizona, and more recently in San Antonio, TX. Andrew and his wife Laura, an AT at Great Hearts Irving Lower School, are the proud parents of 6 children, among whom are three current Great Hearts students, 2 alumni, and one current Great Hearts teacher in San Antonio.