Great Hearts Roosevelt Hosts Inaugural Blazer Ceremony

Great Hearts Roosevelt marked a defining moment in its young history by ushering its first class of Juniors into the rich traditions of classical education in a ceremony filled with symbolism and quiet gravity. These 11th graders stepped forward to receive their blazers, a rite of passage that welcomed them into the ranks of upperclassmen and called them toward the virtues that will shape their adulthood.

“It is an inaugural event, but this is a tradition at Great Heart schools where our 11th graders are conferred a blazer as part of their uniform,” stated Roosevelt Prep Headmaster Tony Cruz, addressing the student body and faculty at the ceremony. “The uniform is just another way of cultivating in your student hearts the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.”

Along with Cruz, Archway Roosevelt Headmaster Jamie Fairbanks marked the event with an exhortation for the Juniors. “Across classical civilizations, rights of passages were used to signal that a young person was stepping into a new season of life,” she shared. “The Roman poet Virgil wrote, ‘Fortune favors the brave.’ And this moment, small as it may seem, is an invitation to courage, to take ownership of your choices, your character, and your future.”

Fairbanks emphasized the responsibility that comes with wearing the blazer. “Each time you put it on, you are choosing who you are becoming. You are choosing to pursue what is True, to practice virtue, and to lead by example for those who will follow behind you. Wear it with intention, and most of all, wear it as a symbol of the young adult you are becoming. Brave, virtuous, and prepared to lead.

The weight of this new responsibility hit home for Junior Derrick Tooley. “It just felt like a sense of gratification of oh, I’m on top now. I’m the example. I have to show other people what to do, show them what not to do,” he said. “It just means that now we’re the upper classman on campus. You now have to think of yourself in a higher sense and know that… you’re just the leader now.”

Headmaster Rachel Mercado from neighboring Great Hearts academy, Maryvale Prep, was also invited to speak during the ceremony about the real meaning behind the blazers. “I see more than a uniform. I see unity. I see purpose. And I see a group of young people who are building something extraordinary,” she said. “Your blazer is more than fabric and stitching. It’s a symbol of what this school stands for. A unified front, a shared commitment, and a visible reminder that no matter how diverse your backgrounds, your interests, or your personalities may be, you belong to something bigger than yourselves.”

With that, the scholars were called one-by-one to receive their blazer, which was thoughtfully placed on the students by faculty members, and a lapel pin. Cruz said they chose to give the students a lapel pin with the school crest on it, rather than the traditional patch, so the scholars could use their blazer beyond high school, for interviews and future professional endeavors.

“There is a diversity that we have on our campus and in in the world,” concluded Cruz. “We also have to hold in our heads, in our minds, and in our hearts the idea that we’re also unified. And that’s actually the most important thing that we’re all human beings that deserve dignity, that deserve respect, that deserve to be treated with equality because it’s easy to be divided. It’s much harder to be unified. We can do something much more beautiful together than we can separate. I present to you our class of 2027 11th graders.”

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