“Since these were our last few days at the FIS, we wanted everyone to know we’re leaving with a bang,” student Francisca Wehner describes Grade 12’s final week of school.
To celebrate their farewell days, Grade 12 designed a ‘Spirit Week’ from April 4 to April 8. A whole week of dress-ups, with themes ranging from 70’s/80s and tacky tourists to favorite celebrities and seniors, allowed students to enjoy the last few school days together. The week reached its peak today with a Prank Day involving a game of cops and robbers between the students and the teachers.
“We wanted the week to highlight the culmination of our High School careers and leave our mark on the school legacy,” Francisca explains the thought process behind planning the activities. Femke Oudega, another Grade 12 student adds, “The idea was to make this a fun week rather than an emotional one, which it was going to be anyway. So we were just trying to make the best out of it.”
Indeed, the week marks an important milestone for Grade 12 as it falls right before their Study Break. Starting next week, the students will get busy studying for their IB Diploma and High School Diploma exams due to take place in April through May.
“It’s a mixed feeling,” Femke admits. “We’ve had fun in the last week of school, but on top of that we have to think about exams and prepare for them as well.” The high of their farewell week is mellowed by the realization that the exams are only a few days away. This, coupled with a sense of nostalgia about an era coming to an end, spawns all kinds of emotions.
As Femke says, “We will never be in High School again.” For Grade 12, this is a watershed moment in all manner of ways.
“All of us are ready to close this chapter of our lives and start a new chapter, which is exciting and scary all at the same time,” Francisca chimes in. “But it’s a fun rollercoaster and we’re just enjoying the ride.”
As the students round into the home stretch, here is to ‘enjoying the ride’!
We topped off an eventful week with a grade level assembly and a cake cutting ceremony, which has been an enduring Grade 12 farewell tradition at the FIS. Please join us in wishing our Grade 12 students the best of luck in all their aspirations and endeavors.