“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” Oprah Winfrey
At the end of the school year, each studio carves out time for a long-awaited celebration: Character Rock Ceremony. One of the most honored and sacred traditions at The Village School, Character Rock Ceremony gives every learner and studio community the opportunity to celebrate who they are. At their studio ceremony, each learner receives a special rock with a word painted on it. The word identifies one trailblazing trait the learner exhibited and shared with the community throughout the year.
On Tuesday, Adventure celebrated the end of the year with a sunset hike at Bear’s Den Scenic Lookout. After an engaging climb, learners, families, and guides gathered together in anticipation of the studio Character Rock Ceremony.
Rock Ceremony Introduction
This hike marks the end of the 2023/24 school year for Adventure Studio. For some of you, this is your first sunset hike, and for some it’s your last. Tonight we are celebrating two things: first, we are celebrating the strong team that you all have created together since Session One. Second, we are celebrating each of your unique contributions that have made our studio and school a better place. We are also here to recognize our four graduating learners. Regardless of when you joined our studio, each of you will always be a TVS Trailblazer.
As you all know, a trailblazer is someone who discovers their passions, creates their own path in the world, and inspires others along the way. At The Village School we believe that each of us are trailblazers on our own journey to learn as much as we can about ourselves and the world around us. A trailblazer understands their own strengths and weaknesses and makes intentional choices to grow each day. Trailblazers have a vision for a different future, a faith that turns their dreams into reality, and a determination that cuts through barriers and obstacles. All of you have shown the traits of a trailblazer this year. And now we will present you with your character rock representing the trait that you have most contributed to our community this school year.
Presentation of Rocks
Following the introduction, guides gave a character callout to each learner and presented them with their rock. Several of the callouts and pictures of the corresponding rocks are below.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” [Learner], we can count on you for so many things–kindness, compassion, an incredible amount of knowledge about history–and something we always know you will do is be true to yourself. By showing up as your true self, you encourage others to do the same. [Learner], you lead by example and balance being honest with being kind. You are intentional in your interactions with friends–you’re always willing to listen and support–and remain genuine even in the midst of challenging conversations or situations, which is not easy to do. [Learner], thank you for showing us how to be authentic.
“The hero’s journey in the real world is about moving forward through challenges and obstacles; overcoming one then starting again with a new fear to face and new thing to accomplish.” [Learner], you shared this quote in your speech “What Defines a Hero?”, a speech that deeply inspired our community this year. There is no mountain too big for you. When you set goals, you go for them with confidence, determination, and grit; and, when you reach your goals, you celebrate your wins with grace and are ready to take on the next mountain. You show us what it means to take ownership of our own stories with courage, purpose and spunk. [Learner], we would call that gumption.
You know the feeling you get when you look up at the stars and think, “How is something this amazing possible?” If you take that feeling of curiosity and mix it with a deep love of life, you will find [learner]. You want to know how things work and why things happen. You are unafraid to take something completely apart so that you can learn how to put it back together again, often inventing your own ideas along the way. In conversation, it is a joy to see you light up when talking about the curiosities around you. You really do inspire all who cross your path. [Learner], we would call your joy for deep learning and beautiful outlook on life wonder.
Stephen Covey said, “Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” [Learner], in your time at TVS, you have certainly changed, grown, and become an exceptional young man.You have not only contributed to our studio’s culture but you have impacted our entire community with your bravery, creativity, determination, and compassion. You have pushed yourself to become a better person and in turn, have set in motion the determination for all of us to question who we are and who we want to become. [Learner], you show us every day what it looks like to constantly challenge yourself to be a better human, relying on your inner strength to show you the way. For this, we would call that independence.
[Learner], you are like the sun–you are bright, warm, and make people feel better on good days and really challenging days. You have a superpower. You care about others and take the time to really check in on them. When you ask, “How are you?” our community knows that you are truly interested in how the person on the other end of the question is doing. You not only listen to those around you, but you also take action to make our community a safe and warm space. So many times we have seen you uplift others by leaving small notes in people’s cubbies, sharing a silly meme with the studio, or telling much-needed jokes throughout the day. [Learner], thank you for showing us what it means to be truly kindhearted.
To close the event, we listened to the inspirational words of poet Cleo Wade’s What the Road Said, watched the sunset, and celebrated our community of trailblazers.
As a guide, I’ve had the honor of getting to know our amazing TVS learners and seeing each one grow. Now having experienced one, Character Rock Ceremony is an event I will always look forward to in my time at TVS. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate who our trailblazers are than with a ceremony dedicated to community and the sharing of rocks.
“Trailblazing is what we do when we find ourselves in the wilderness, with no path to guide us but our own intuitive understanding of nature and our destination. At times we must walk through the night, guided only by the stars. We know when to sit and rest, to shelter from storms, when to gather water, and what on the trail will sustain us and what will do us harm. We are courageous and cautious in equal measure, but we are driven forward, not only by our own desire to reach our destination, but also by the desire to leave a viable way for others who follow.” -Lucy H. Pearce
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