Forest Acres Christian Educators Class of 2009, front row (l- r), Elise Porter, Arlene Johnson, Leanne Thompson, Benjamin Moore, Victoria Unthank. Ten local home schooled students became official Class of 2009 graduates at commencement exercises on May 16. The ceremony, held at St. Andrews Evangelical Church, was sponsored by Forest Acres Christian Educators (FACE), which has a membership of approximately 120 families with 14 seniors graduating this year. This third annual graduation event is one of several home school graduations to be held this spring in the Midlands.

Of those in the FACE ceremony, most have been home schooled since kindergarten, and eight are firstborn children.

Janice Thompson, parent of one of the graduates and chairman of the parent planning committee says, "A home school graduation of this size is very unique and personal. The parents have the privilege of awarding the diplomas to their children, and we also get the opportunity to speak words of affirmation and encouragement to our graduates... It's a wonderful celebration of many years of hard work and effort by both parents who taught and students who studied."

Reverend Matt Lucas, the associate minister for education and training at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, presented the address. Lucas spoke about truth, life, and purpose, reminding the students, "These are big things in life. You need to have firm convictions about them. What I'd like to assure you is: if you rest on Christ and you are firm in the Word, you will find answers to each one of those three— answers that will guide you and take you far in life."

All FACE seniors will be attending college, most at in- state institutions: Taylor Edwards (North Greenville University), Arlene Johnson (Bob Jones University), Andrew Lonon (Patrick Henry College in Virginia), Amalia Lynde (Columbia International University), Benjamin Moore (Midlands Technical College/USC), Elise Porter (USC—Columbia), Kristian Rich (Midlands Technical College/ USC), Elisa Rodengen (USC—Beaufort), Leanne Thompson (Charleston Southern University), and Victoria Unthank (Erskine College). Four other seniors will also be moving on to colleges: Julie Ann Adams (Anderson University), Carrie Burke (USC—Columbia), Meredith Higgins (Anderson University), and Jordan Hollis (undecided).

Lynde, Porter, Thompson, and Unthank have received the top scholarships offered by the university of their choice — the CIU Presidential Scholarship, the Carolina Scholar Award, the Jairy C. Hunter Scholar Award, and the Erskine Presidential Scholarship, respectively.

Several have also received state and/or national honors. Thompson, Porter, and Unthank are Palmetto Fellows Recipients. Lonon and Unthank are National Merit Commended students, and Porter is a National Merit finalist and a semifinalist in the U.S. Dept. of Education's Presidential Scholars Program. LIFE Scholarships were awarded to Burke, Higgins, and Lynde, and the HOPE Scholarship to Rodengen and Adams.

The FACE seniors have received more than 25 other scholarships. Some are as follows: the Daniel Webster Debate and Abraham Lincoln Leadership awarded to Lonon; the NGU's President's Academic scholarship and a music scholarship awarded to Edwards; the Anderson and Warthin Scholarships received by both Adams and Higgins; the Sam Walton Community Scholarship awarded to Rodengen; and a Southern Wesleyan and a USC award received by Hollis and Moore, respectively.