There is much to accomplish before the Class of 2023 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 $28.95). Cap and gown sizes and payment must be submitted no later than Friday, April 7, 2023. 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 $28.95 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 May 1st, 2023. Please do not use any nicknames and double check your spelling. Contact Ms. Catherine Brandolini (catherine.brandolini@greatheartsirving.org) with questions.
Senior Banquet
Thursday, May 11th, 6:00 PM
Blue Mesa Grill in Addison
14866 Montfort Drive, Addison, TX 75254
Each senior will be honored with a short speech from a faculty member.
Dinner will be provided for Seniors.
Parents must pay $20 for the buffet dinner or enchiladas and sides.
Graduation Tickets
Tickets to the Class of 2023 Graduation Ceremony are free of charge and there is a ten person limit to the number of tickets a family can reserve. So we can plan accordingly, all attendees must have a reserved ticket. Please reach out to Ms. Rachel Pauletti (rachel.pauletti@greatheartsirving.org) in case of extenuating circumstances.
Please submit a final ticket request using this Graduation Ticket Order Form by May 12th, 2023.
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 24 and Thursday, May 25. Each exam will be preceded by a study hall and students will be allowed to leave campus immediately after their exams for the day are over. Time will be set aside after exams on Thursday for Seniors to empty and clean out their lockers.
Wednesday, May 24: Greek/Spanish exam; Calculus I/Calculus II exam
Thursday, May 25: Humane Letters exam; Physics exam
Senior Brunch and Senior Walk
Seniors must be on campus by 8:30 AM on Friday, May 26th, dressed in school-appropriate business casual attire. We’ll enjoy brunch together, take photos, receive honor cords to be worn on graduation day, and discuss key end-of-year details.
To end their last school day at Great Hearts Irving, students will don their caps and gowns and tour the whole campus as their 6-11th grade peers and the faculty and staff line the hallways and cheer on the candidates as they pass. After the Senior Walk through the Upper School campuses, candidates will travel to the Lower School and complete a Senior Walk through their hallways, as an example of what is to come for our Lower School scholars. After walking through the Lower School, seniors are dismissed until the Graduation Rehearsal Friday evening.
Graduation Rehearsal
Graduation rehearsal will be held at First United Methodist of Irving* at 4:30 PM on Friday, May 26th. Students are encouraged to dress in business casual. 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 6 PM.
Commencement
Saturday, May 27th
First United Methodist of Irving*
All candidates must arrive by 8:45 AM.
Commencement will begin promptly at 10:00 AM.
Our 2023 Commencement Speaker is Dr. Claudia MacMillan. Dr. MacMillan is the Founding Director of the Louise and Donald Cowan Center for Education at the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. She is the editor of and contributor to What is a Teacher? Remembering the Soul of Education Through Classic Literature and has published on such topics as William Faulkner’s comic novels and the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. She began teaching in 1981 and has served in the high school classroom and administrative offices—as a teacher, department chair, and Dean of Curriculum and Instruction—and also in the university—as a Visiting Assistant Professor of English, and Associate Dean of both the Braniff Graduate School and the Constantin Undergraduate College at the University of Dallas. She holds the Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Dallas.
*Graduation will now take place at First United Methodist Irving instead of the gym.