Caps Off to Our American Program Graduates

Published by Kingham Hill School on Saturday 28th of June 2025

On Friday 27th June, we celebrated the accomplishments of our American Program Class of 2025 with a joyful Graduation Ceremony.

The afternoon opened with a warm welcome and invocation by Reverend Tom Hutchings, followed by an address from Lieutenant Colonel Carla Cox, Director of the Military Treatment Facility at RAF Croughton. Speaking directly to the graduates, Lieutenant Colonel Cox offered words of encouragement and gratitude, leading a round of applause for the families and staff who have supported the class throughout their journey.

Before diplomas were awarded, Headmaster Mr Last shared words of pride and optimism: “What excites me as we part company with you, and we send you off into the next exciting steps of your journey, is the difference that you will make in the places that you end up… And the differences that you will make to the people whom you meet.” He closed his remarks with a moving reading of ‘Wonderful’ by Harry Baker, a poem he hoped would resonate with pupils and families alike. 

Mr Furst, American Program Director, concluded the ceremony with final reflections, congratulating the Class of 2025 and offering his best wishes for the road ahead.

The celebration continued with a BBQ on the Hill, where family, friends and staff gathered to honour our graduates and mark the beginning of their next exciting chapter.

 ‘Wonderful’ by Harry Baker

May you always picture where you are
as where you’re meant to be.
May you take in your surroundings
like you visited especially.
We all end up in the soil eventually,
so may you carry such goodness
that it nourishes for centuries.

May you see life as a show
and may the entry fee be empathy,
sat front row with an empty seat
for friends in need.
When you’re on form,
be generous and spread that energy.
When you’re not sure,
be gentle with yourself
and don’t forget to breathe.

You need not be defined by your many feats;
you are not a centipede.
There is a joy in doing something terribly.
May you share brews and bruises
and may you do this tenderly.
You are the most improved you
there has ever been.

May you be seriously silly,
may you be wickedly kind.
May you be brilliantly dumb sometimes
and yet stupidly bright.
May you certainly have doubts,
may your weirdness be the norm.
May the coolest thing about you
be your warmth.

May you be powerfully vulnerable,
or at least mightily soft.
May you be a contradiction,
and yet at the same time not.
And, whether you are any, none
or all of the above,
above all, may you know
that you are loved.

Just as you cannot be in traffic
without being traffic,
life is not something
that you are stuck in
while it happens.
There is more in you
than you could possibly imagine.
The very fact that you exist
makes everything a bit more magic.

When it all feels too much
and there is little you can do,
may you still see the best in people
and may people include you.
May one thing match the gravity
of all you’ve ever done.
This wonderful reality:
the best is yet to come