Ceremonies Needed

I’m of the belief that ceremonies are important. Small ceremonies. Ceremonies that acknowledge something important in the life of a freshman. It’s good to have an event that acknowledges a change or a victory in a way that is memorable.

I was reminded of this last week. A freshman boy said he wanted to transfer to the school across town. I asked him why.

“I want a fresh start.”

He had made some mistakes. His grades weren’t what he wanted. He had a couple of office referrals. He wanted a do-over so badly that he was pining for a place that didn’t know him where he could begin again.

I asked him, “What if we have a ‘Fresh Start’ ceremony?

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Well, I would have you come to our team meeting room. We would have a brief ceremony, sign a piece of paper, and begin your fresh start.”

He thought that sounded like a great idea.

The next day, I printed out a simple certificate.

Restart!

Today, __________ is going to restart high school. On Friday, December 1st, he starts with a clean slate with his teachers. It’s going to be a great year!

There were five signature lines below.

I brought him into our meeting room. Each teacher spoke positive words about this young man’s future. We declared that this was a fresh start.

We all signed the document. I took a picture of him holding the certificate, and we sent him on his way.

The whole process took less than five minutes, giving this freshman a ceremony to point to as he started anew.