Imagine it’s your last day of school as a high school senior. Perhaps in the years prior, you had your first love, your first heartbreak, your first epiphanies about what your next steps might be. Every emotion is elevated by not only the novelty of it all, but also the anticipation of what’s to come.
The Country Day School in San Rafael, Costa Rica posted an Instagram Reel that revealed a joyous surprise for their high school seniors. The audience is shown hopeful kids walking into a large room as Fleetwood Mac’s ballad “Landslide” underscores the clip. Many clutched their hearts, some covered their eyes, and others even pulled out their phones to record. But nearly all of them seemed to be moved to heartfelt tears.
One final surprise
As they enter, we see large cardboard cutouts of each high school senior from years past, almost as if they’re taking a “tour” of their lives. They find their personalized memory boxes and crouch down to sift through letters, journals, photos, class projects, school medals, and stuffed animals. Each child had a personalized letter written by someone who—whether a parent or a teacher—believes in their potential with steadfast conviction.
The school writes, “Today, our seniors walked through one final surprise before stepping into their next chapter. Personalized senior memory boxes filled with photos, notes, memories, and heartfelt words of encouragement from the people who have loved and supported them along the way. There were tears everywhere — students, parents, teachers, staff. The kind of tears that come when you realize a chapter is ending, and a beautiful new one is just beginning.
What a privilege it has been to watch this class grow, lead, dream, and become who they are meant to be. Once a Panther, always a Panther.”
Creating a better future
Panthers, of course, refers to their mighty school mascot. CDS is self-described as an “international U.S.-accredited school in San Rafael, Costa Rica serving students from Early Years through High School.” Their motto is clear: “At CDS, we nurture curious, resilient, globally minded learners through intentional, personalized learning experiences that inspire students to grow, lead with purpose, and create a better future.”
The clip has over 300,000 likes so far. Thousands of people commented to support the kids on their upcoming journeys, and some shared stories of their own. One writes, “I don’t even know any of you and I’m sobbing.”
Another gives credit to the school administrators. “Congratulations to the principal and teachers of this school. What a beautiful thing to do for the kids. Every school should do this.”
A spokesperson for the school wrote back, giving a nod to the parents and guardians of the kids. “We couldn’t have done it without our amazing parents! We love our Country Day School.”
“Emotionally in tune”
This parent shared how excited they are for their own son, who is currently in kindergarten: “First of all, I’m sobbing. Secondly, the planning for this over the years is amazing, and my son is in kindergarten this year, so now my mind is going. Third, to every single parent of these children whom I do not know: You are all incredible. These children are so emotionally in tune with how significant this is. And to the parents of all those boys, thank you for making them emotionally intelligent. It shows!!”
A teacher shared how moved they were as well, writing, “One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in education. The planning must have been massive — kudos to whoever is the mastermind. I always felt my high school students were ‘big, little kids.’ We forget that too often.”
And perhaps excellent advice for not only the children embarking on this beautiful surprise, but also for those of us watching: “I hope you put a box of tissues in each memory box. ☺❤”
