To ease the transition to high school for eighth-graders in Troup County, middle schools have been holding “On To High School” celebrations.

Callaway Middle School held the most recent celebration Thursday morning in the school’s gymnasium featuring guest speakers and “Class of 2013” T-shirts.

“We want children to celebrate the success of finishing the eighth grade while getting them to focus on their future at the same time,” administrator Janet Greer said. “During the week, we have helped all of the eighth-graders in Troup County to write four-year curriculum plans for high school. They have been working on them throughout the year in their respective Career Connections classes administered in each middle school.”

Sponsored by donations received through the Troup County school system, the celebrations followed orientation visits to each middle school’s corresponding high school.

On Thursday, Callaway Middle students listened to an array of speakers including Greer, principal Tom Whatley, Callaway High School principal Kevin Jones and CHS senior and recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship, Asia Wyatt.

“You can all make your dreams come true,” Greer told the audience. “Just believe in yourself and look out for the four F’s: failure to attend, failure to engage, failure to perform and failure to persist.”

After listening to the speeches, eighth-graders were asked to come down and sign a graduation gown and cap worn by a mannequin.

“We told them, if you believe you will graduate high school in 2013, then come on down and sign it,” Greer said. “That mannequin will be placed in the halls of Callaway High School through their high school career so they can walk by and see it and be reminded of the challenge that they accepted. When they graduate, they will each cross their names off the mannequin.”

Gardner Newman Middle School’s mannequin will be placed in LaGrange High School, and Long Cane Middle School’s mannequin will go to Troup High School.

In addition to signing the cap and gown, students also signed each of their new “Class of 2013” T-shirts that they received.

“It’s exciting knowing that we are all about to enter high school,” eighth-grader Kaylor Williams said. “We all want to get our friends and teachers to sign our shirts.”

Before the celebration, the eighth-graders toured Callaway High earlier in the week while visiting their soon-to-be-principal, Jones.

“They are all excited to be coming to what we like to call the ‘Callaway Nation,’ ” Jones said. “We have let all of the eighth-graders walk through our school and attend various orientation meetings so they won’t be quite as shocked their first day of high school. We did similar things last year, but we have taken it to another level this year.”

Long Cane and Gardner Newman middle schools also conducted “On To High School” celebrations this week. West Side Magnet School will hold its celebration Thursday.

Kenneth Thompson can be reached at kethompson@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.