First Academy Traditions

By Lacie Reagin

Over the years, First Academy has established their own yearly traditions and events. These traditions have become dearly-loved and cherished by students all the way from Kindergarten to 12th grade. With another senior class graduating in May, there are many traditions they have to leave behind—the question is, what will they miss the most?

One FA Senior said she’d miss the occasional Chick-Fil-A the school would buy for students. It was a rare moment, but in special circumstances like parties or celebrating the first win for our basketball team, Chick-Fil-A would be catered for all high school students. When asked why she would miss it, she replied “I liked the tradition because I’m broke and love Chick-Fil-A but don’t get it that often…it’s so expensive…It was really nice to get it for free. Those chicken minis are absolutely delicious.”

A few seniors commented on chapel and Bible classes that they would miss the most. One of them said she will miss chapel because it is a way to “refresh and refocus our minds and hearts on the Lord.” She loves it because it was an excellent time for students and teachers alike to come and worship and learn more about the Lord, all while growing closer together. Along the same lines, another senior said she will miss the Bible classes. She loves learning and enjoyed doing deep dives in the Bible in various ways she may have not thought of before—”It was encouraging to be surrounded by other believers also wanting to grow in the Lord.” It was also nice to her because they were coming together as a class and “growing in our spiritual walks while strengthening each other.”

Another FA Senior mentioned the semesterly pep rallies. First Academy always does one in the fall to kick off basketball season and one in the summer to close things out with a bang before the final homecoming game. He loves them so much because of how fun they are, along with being able to celebrate our school’s amazing team. His favorite part of the pep rallies are “when we all scream as loud as we can for the Great Lion Sword. The Sword is definitely one of the most-prized possessions that the school has.” What makes the Sword so special is that everyone wants to win it, and it’s an excellent display of our class's school spirit. He also thinks that “the cheerleaders also do such an amazing job with all their fancy dance moves.” School spirit has always been a top priority for this senior when it comes to supporting our sport’s teams, and the pep rallies help with that, as well as getting students excited for the games to come.

Finally, when asked if our seniors could imagine anywhere else besides First Academy, most of them said no. Some said maybe after getting accustomed to a public school, but they still couldn’t imagine attending school anywhere but FA. Those that said no completely were mostly for the same reason: First Academy’s Biblical foundation. As one senior said: “The Bible has been such a foundation for me growing up, and in public schools you don’t have the opportunity for that…This school has taught me so many different things that I would’ve never learned in public schools…Even if I could I wouldn’t leave FA. FA is a place where I have grown up and a place that I will always call home. I love this place and hope to have my kids here one day.” 

Overall, FA is loved by our seniors, and because of the Biblical foundation and the friends they are surrounded by, they wouldn’t want to be at another school anywhere else.