The Day I Started My Life as an Adult

It is that time of year again for a lot of students in the world. Graduation time; a time when all people end their childhood and start their lives as adults. This is the story and memories of my graduation from high school.

I was a home taught student, a student that is fully taught at home by my parents and curriculum for home school students. I was taught at home from the time I was in the 6^th grade all the way through my high school career. I not only learned my studies in this schooling I learned valuable life skills to prepare me a lot more for adulthood. As a home taught student I was still able to play sports at our local high school so that I could get the social skills I missed by being enrolled in the actual high school. I also was involved in other extracurricular activities like Girl Scouts, 4-H, Church youth groups.

My Graduation was a huge ceremony that all of the students of Arizona can register for if they are taught at home, it is called Arizona Families for Home Education Graduate Recognition Night. My Graduation Night was the 12^th annual for these Home school students in Arizona and it was held on May 28^th of 2004. I registered ahead of time, ordered invitations, had senior pictures done and got all the fun of a real graduation. I even received a certificate of completion of high school through the state.

One of the most memorable things of my high school graduation night was the young man that was also graduating that played the piano and sang for us. This student was a blind man and he played the piano perfectly in my opinion. His piano playing brought me to tears and made my graduation night so memorable. This young man later went on to try out for American Idol and when I seen him on the show and remembered him from my graduation I hoped he would go far and succeed well in his music career! His name was Scott D. MacIntyre, he did not make it through American Idol to the very end but the fact that he pursued his dream made me realize how special our high school memories are.

We are taught at home, most of us with a religious background, we have testimonies we live up to in our lives and we try our hardest in all we do. My high school graduation was celebrated by my family, my friends and I was so proud to have them all there to share it with me. We enjoyed cake and ice cream afterwards and then went for a pizza party to end the night, my family and friends love pizza so it was the perfect ending to a perfect graduation night. I am so proud to have graduated in the same class as another home school student who went so far with his dream!