Graduation 2009
GRAD packets are now available!
HEAV Graduation Ceremony
Saturday, June 13, 2009
3:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
The Greater Richmond Convention Center
403 North 3rd Street (at the corner of Fifth and
Broad streets)
Richmond, VA 23219
The graduation ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, in the 2nd floor ballroom of the Ballroom Building. You must register for graduation.
Please refer to the Graduation FAQs, where you will find a list of questions about graduation--and their answers!
Although graduation is a ticketed event, there typically are seats available for convention attendees after 3:15 p.m.; please check with our ushers at the doors.
[ Photo © Seth Fisher, Through My Lens Photography ]
GRAD PACKETS
Download and complete the GRAD packet to register for the 2009 Graduation. COMPLETE registration details are included in the GRAD packet.
GRADUATION FAQS
Graduation Coordinator, graduation@heav.org
1. What are the requirements to participate?
2. How can I receive information about participating?
3. What is a GRAD packet?
4. If I request a GRAD packet, does that mean I am registered for graduation?
5. When am I considered a registered graduate?
6. What is the deadline for registration?
7. When and where will the ceremony be held?
8. Do I have to be an HEAV member to participate?
9. What are the costs to participate?
10. How do I order my cap and gown, diploma, and announcements?
11. May I choose the color of my cap and gown?
12. What does the diploma look like? Does it look "official"?
13. How do I choose an inscription for my diploma?
14. Do I have to use the HEAV diploma?
15. Do the announcements serve as invitations?
16. What does the announcement look like?
17. How will the portraits look?
18. How many graduates are you expecting?
19. How many guests may I invite to the ceremony? How do I get tickets to give to my guests?
20. Do the graduate and his parents need tickets?
21. Who is the graduation speaker?
22. May we attend convention workshops?
23. What is the schedule for Graduation Day?
24. Graduation check-in is held on Friday and Saturday. Do we have to
check in both times?
25. If we have items for sale in the Used
Curriculum Sale, will we be able to pick up our unsold items?
26. May our guests shop in the Exhibit Hall?
27. Does HEAV offer a class ring?
28. I am not familiar with the proper etiquette for the ceremony, or for addressing and sending graduation invitations or thank-you notes for our graduate's gifts. Can you offer any help?
29. Where can we find information about preparing for and taking the SAT?
30. We are looking at future plans, including college, for this graduate or another child; do you have any resources to guide our search?
1. What are the
requirements to participate?
HEAV does not have any academic (GPA, credits,
or courses) or age requirements for participation in the graduation weekend.
Consistent with our belief that education is the primary responsibility of
parents, we leave this decision in the hands of each family. As long as the
graduate has been home educated under Virginia law §22.1-254.1 (homeschool
statute), §22.1-254(B)(1) (religious exemption), or §22.1-254(A) (certified
tutor provision), we invite your family to participate in the Class of 2009. If
the participating graduate is from another state, he or she will have to have
abided by the laws pertaining to home instruction in that state.
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2. How
can I receive information about participating?
You may contact our graduation coordinator at
804-278-9200 or
graduation@heav.org. Please
leave the following information:
Graduate's Full Name
Parents' Names
Mailing Address
Home Phone
E-mail Address (Please give a reliable address. E-mail is the primary
form of communication throughout the graduation season.)
Once we have received this
information, you will be informed of the next step in the registration process.
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3.
What is a GRAD packet?
A
GRAD (Graduation Registration And Details) Packet is a packet of
information that includes all the forms necessary for registration, as
well as other vital graduation information. It is sent to anyone who
requests information about participating.
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4. If I request a GRAD packet, does that mean I am registered for graduation?
No. Requesting a GRAD packet is simply requesting information and details about graduation.
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5. When am I considered a registered graduate?
You are not
considered a registered graduate until HEAV receives your completed
registration forms (found in the GRAD packet) and your payment.
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6. What is the deadline for registration?
The application deadline is April 3, 2009.
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7. When and where will the ceremony be held?
The graduates of the Class of 2009 will receive
their diplomas on Saturday, June 13, 2009, at 3:30 p.m. The ceremony will take
place from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the ballroom of the Greater Richmond Convention
Center at the corner of Fifth and Broad streets, in Richmond, Virginia. (See
the Convention Center
website for location details.)
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8. Do I
have to be an HEAV member to participate?
No. Member and non-member families are invited
to participate in the ceremony.
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9. What are the costs to participate?
The application fee and cap and gown are the only required purchases. Check
back in the next few weeks for the cost amounts.
The required purchases, as well as the optional items,
will also be thoroughly explained in your GRAD Packet.
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10. How do
I order my cap and gown, diploma, and announcements?
Instructions on
ordering your cap and gown, diploma, announcements, and name cards will be
included in the GRAD Packet.
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11. May I choose the color of my cap and gown?
You may choose to
wear either a royal blue or white gown, with a matching cap. The tassel color
is gold. Traditionally, the men choose royal blue and the ladies choose white.
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12.
What does the diploma look like? Does it look "official"?
The diploma was designed by HSLDA for
home-educated graduates and is printed in rich navy and black ink on parchment.
This certificate will be inscribed with the graduate's name, date of
graduation, and the name of the graduate's school or curriculum. It will also
include the signatures of the graduate's parents, the HEAV president, and the
commencement speaker. A gold foil seal and navy ribbon adorn the diploma, which
is encased in a beautiful padded and lined navy case.
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13. How
do I choose an inscription for my diploma?
For the diploma wording in the section,
"...has completed the course of study prescribed for graduation
by...," you may want to say, "his parents," the name of your
school, or a correspondence course you used. Please do not use
"prescribed by the Commonwealth of Virginia." The
Commonwealth of Virginia does not prescribe a curriculum or course of study for
Virginia's homeschoolers. It is up to the parents to decide the course of
study. This also incorrectly implies the Commonwealth of Virginia has
authorized and approved your course of study.
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14. Do I
have to use the HEAV diploma?
You are not required to purchase a diploma
through HEAV. Some families use a diploma from their local support group's
graduation ceremony or simply a computer-generated certificate. If you do not
purchase a diploma through HEAV, you are required to bring something that
resembles a diploma for the presentation during the ceremony. It should be
flat, sturdy, clearly labeled with your full name, and measure 8 ½" by
11".
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15. Do
the announcements serve as invitations?
No, announcements are not invitations.
Announcements are designed to be a formal means of letting your friends and
family know of your graduation from high school.
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[Photo Credit: Seth Fisher/Through My Lens Photography]
16.
What does the announcement look like?
The formal, white graduation announcement features a black embossed
script on the front panel that reads as follows:
Home Educators
Association of Virginia
is pleased to
announce its
Commencement
Exercises
for the Homeschool
Graduates of the
Class of Two Thousand
and Nine
on Saturday, the
thirteenth of June
at three-thirty in
the afternoon
Greater Richmond
Convention Center
Richmond, Virginia
The inside is blank. If you choose to order our
announcements, you will receive outer envelopes, inner envelopes, tissue
inserts, and an addressing guide. Name cards, sold separately, may also be
ordered. Name cards are placed on top of the announcements. Announcements may
be sent with or without name cards.
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17. How will the portraits look?
Jamie Jones Photography has done an outstanding
job of capturing the spirit of our graduates in individual and family
portraits. You may expect the highest quality medium format (studio-quality)
photograph at an affordable price.
Photography
FAQ Page
Listing of Photo Packages
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18. How many graduates are you expecting?
The Class of 2009 is expected to have approximately
200 graduates.
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19. How
many guests may I invite to the ceremony? How do I get tickets to give to my
guests?
When you register, you should indicate the number of tickets you need for
your family and friends. Each graduate is initially allotted 10
tickets; however, please indicate on your registration form the exact number
you need so any "extra" tickets will be available to those who need them. If
you need more than 10 tickets, you may indicate the number you would like on
your registration form and we will do our best to get them for you if possible.
"Extra" tickets will be distributed on a first-requested,
first-served basis. Tickets (including "extras" requested, if available) will
be mailed to you in May in your confirmation packet.
The
only reserved seating in the ballroom is for graduates and parents; the
rest of the seating is general admission, meaning seats are not
preassigned, but tickets are required. Ticketed guests
need to arrive before 3:15 p.m.
At 3:15 p.m., tickets are no longer needed and all available seats may
be filled by convention attendees. Ticketed guests who do not arrive
before 3:15 p.m. may not get a seat.
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20. Do
the graduate and his parents need tickets?
The graduate and his parents do NOT need tickets
as these honored guests of graduation will be wearing nametags, which replace
the need for tickets.
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21. Who
is the graduation speaker?
This has yet to be determined.
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22. May
we attend convention workshops?
If you would like to attend the convention, you will need
to register for that separately by contacting the HEAV office at 804-278-9200
or
office@heav.org.
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23. What
is the schedule for Graduation Day?
Check-in will open at 8:30 a.m. and close at
10:30 a.m. Portraits will be taken throughout the morning, by appointment.
Walk-ins will be worked in whenever possible. A mandatory rehearsal
for graduates and parents will take place from 1 p.m. until about 2:30 p.m.
Graduates will begin to line up in processional order at 3 p.m. The ceremony
will begin promptly at 3:30 p.m.
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24. Graduation check-in is held on Friday and
Saturday. Do we have to check in both times?
No, if your family checks in on Friday, you are not required to check in on
Saturday. Likewise, if you plan to check in on Saturday, you do not need to
check in on Friday. You need to check in on either Friday or
Saturday.
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25. If we have items for sale in the Used Curriculum
Sale, will we be able to pick up our unsold items?
No, you will not be able to pick up your unsold items. UCS closes before the
graduation ceremony ends. Please make arrangements for someone else to pick up
your unsold items.
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26.
May our guests shop in the Exhibit Hall?
Yes! Family members and friends with a ticket to the graduation ceremony may
browse the Exhibit Hall in the adjoining Richmond Center FREE OF CHARGE on
Friday evening after 5 p.m., and all day on Saturday.
Be sure to let your guests know they will be admitted
at no cost when they show their graduation ticket. This is a perfect
opportunity for grandparents and other family members and friends to see the
extensive resources available to homeschool families—they are often amazed at
the variety and diversity of educational materials. (It's also a great place to
purchase gifts!)
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27. Does HEAV offer a class ring?
The Lord's Fine Jewelry will supply the Class of
2009 with individual, high-quality, reasonably priced class rings. They have a
wide selection of emblems, stones, metals, and cuts from which to choose. You
should contact them directly through their website, Lord's Fine Jewelry,
or call 800-775-LORD, to request a catalog and pricing information. The Lord's
Fine Jewelry is owned by a homeschooling family in Oklahoma, and is committed
to offering only the finest-quality, hand-tooled jewelry as a testimony to the
Lord's goodness and majesty!
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28. I am not familiar with the proper etiquette for the ceremony, or
for addressing and sending graduation invitations or thank-you notes for our
graduate's gifts. Can you offer any help?
Yes! We have put together a Graduation
Etiquette Guide just for you! It will be included in your GRAD Packet.
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29. Where can we find information about preparing for and taking the
SAT?
You may pick up SAT information from a local high school, or you may request
a "SAT Registration Bulletin," from the HEAV office at
office@heav.org. This bulletin
tells when and where the test will be given and how to register. The following
booklets, which include preparation tips and a practice test (SAT I) or sample
questions (SAT II), are also available through our office: SAT I: Reasoning
Test and SAT II: Subject Tests. To request one, please contact
the office at
office@heav.org or by phone at
804-278-9200. Be sure to provide your mailing address and we will be happy to
fill your request.
Additionally, please see the homeschool high school testing information we have on our website, which includes test registration information, links to practice tests, helpful articles, and more.
You may also go to www.collegeboard.com to find
information and to register online for the SAT.
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30. We are looking at future plans, including college, for this
graduate or another child; do you have any resources to guide our search?
The HEAV office has packets from the Christian
Connector, Inc., which contain information on Christian colleges, Bible
colleges, short-term missions, and other Christian youth opportunities. Please
contact the office at
office@heav.org or by phone at
804-278-9200. Be sure to provide your mailing address. We will be happy to fill
your request.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2009!
We look forward to celebrating with you and your family in June. If you have
additional questions you think would be helpful to add to this list of FAQs,
please send them to
graduation@heav.org.
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This page last edited: 25 February 2009
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