Celebrating Growth and New Beginnings: Our Year-End Graduation Ceremony

Our year-end graduation ceremony was a joyful and heartfelt celebration of student growth, learning, and community. The performances were presented in both Chinese and English, beautifully showcasing our students’ bilingual abilities and confidence in expressing themselves across languages.

Kindergarten through 4th grade students proudly took the stage to share highlights from their recent learning. Our kindergartners shared their exploration of rainforests and different ecosystems. First graders acted out the life cycles of silkworms, frogs, and humans, demonstrating their scientific understanding with curiosity and enthusiasm. Second graders reflected on the core virtues of love, kindness, empathy, and determination from their social-emotional learning. Third graders collaboratively wrote and performed a poem in Chinese about time, sharing thoughtful reflections on how time can feel fast or slow depending on the situation—and reminding us how important it is to make meaningful use of it. Fourth graders discussed various forms and sources of energy they studied in science, showcasing both creativity and insight. Each class also offered warm wishes to our graduating 5th graders, cheering them on as they begin their next learning journey in middle school.

Our 5th grade graduates then took the spotlight with personal and heartfelt speeches, reflecting on their years at Cornerstone, the growth they’ve experienced, and the memories they will carry forward. They expressed sincere gratitude to their parents, families, teachers, and peers for their support along the way, and shared well wishes with their classmates—showing both maturity and a deep sense of community.

As part of their farewell, the 5th graders also revisited their recent bilingual stage performance of The Little Prince, originally presented during our Cornerstone Charter Celebration. Each student shared a favorite quote from the story and reflected on its personal meaning to them—a beautiful blend of literary insight and self-expression.

We also took a moment to recognize and thank our parents and families for their ongoing support, engagement, and partnership throughout the school year. As a small token of our appreciation, we offered a little gift of gratitude to honor their important role in our community.

The ceremony reached a moving high point as all students gathered on stage to sing “The Climb” together—a powerful expression of strength, resilience, and unity.

Go Cornerstone!