Make It Count

Eighth Grade Promotion is a time for both looking back and looking ahead – looking back at all that has been accomplished and learned, and looking forward to the future in upper school and all that is to come. 

Following a special welcome processional and invocation from Bible teacher Loren Hopf ‘03, several eighth grade students shared some of their self-written devotionals, meditations on God’s word through the eyes of eighth graders. Tessa Garcia ‘26 inspired her peers, saying, “Throughout life, you are going to go through many obstacles that will try to pull you away from God. Instead, when things get hard, we need to trust, have confidence in Him and know that there is a plan along the way.” 

Next, keynote speaker Reagan Reynolds ‘06 gave a charge to students, emphasizing how they should use their time in upper school. He began by sharing a plethora of timely advice from his own days at SBS. He especially encouraged eighth graders to make a habit of praying. “If you’re anxious about something, take it to God. Talk to God. Make that a habit now,” he said. “The time will come in your future when something really difficult will happen and you’ll need to turn to God.”

Reagan ended with a profound piece of advice: “If you really do want to thrive in this next stage of life and in your future, I will leave you with this: Walk closely with the Lord. If you really make that the direction and habit of your life, that will form you into the person God made you to be. Your time in this next period of your life is short, so make it count.”

Then, awards were presented. Canon Toon ‘26 received the DAR Good Citizenship Award and Madeline Blakeslee ‘26 and Ethan Chan ‘26 were honored with Karen Jensen Awards for outstanding academic achievement. Finally, with proud families watching on, eighth graders processed across the stage to enter their next chapter. 

Make it count, Class of 2026! See you in upper school!

Click here for photos from this year’s Eighth Grade Promotion.