Congratulations to the Class of 2026!
Nathalie Sophia Armas
Hi, my name is Nathalie Armas.
First, I would like to give glory and thanks to God for giving me the opportunity to be here today and for giving me the strength to continue through this journey. Being homeschooled has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do because it takes a lot of motivation to get up every day knowing I can do schoolwork at any time. And if you know me, you know I love to sleep.
I want to dearly thank my parents, my sister, Mr. Cox, and Ruth for their patience, support, and encouragement. You have all been so understanding with me, and I will forever be grateful because you believed in me when I doubted myself. Thank you for continuing to push me to do better, and for never giving up on me.
A verse that has encouraged me is Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” This verse reminds me that even during the hardest moments of this journey, God always has a plan for me. There were many times when I felt discouraged and doubted myself, but learning to trust Him gave me the strength to keep going.
Throughout this experience, I learned the importance of determination, patience, and trusting God through every challenge. I learned that even when things feel difficult, giving up is never the answer. I also learned how important family and support systems are, because having people who encourage and believe in you can make all the difference.
As I move forward, I hope to continue growing in my faith and in my future goals, trusting God to guide my steps. And as I close this chapter, I walk forward knowing that God has been faithful, He is still faithful, and He will continue to guide and lead me.
Thank you again to everyone who has been a part of my journey, and most importantly, thank you God for your faithfulness.
Purity Rose Cox
Hello, My Name is Purity Cox, and I have to say, “Wow! How fast time has flown!”
Being 5th of a family of ten, I've watched my older siblings graduate, and every time I would think “I’m never going to actually graduate!” But here I am! And I cannot believe what God has brought me through!
A tip for you younger students: enjoy the place you are at now, work hard, do your best, because before you know it, you will be up here too!
Over the years God has taught me so much. I think the most important thing he taught me and the most important trial in my life occurred at the age of 11. After weeks of pain, a brain tumor was discovered and within 14 hours of the discovery, I was rushed into emergency brain surgery to drain the fluid that had suddenly been blocked by the tumor. This saved my life. Through that experience and the radiation treatment that followed, He has shown me how real He is with both the little and the big things.
During the time my brain tumor was discovered, I spent much time reading through the Psalms, and as I walked through that trial, I began to understand just how true the Psalms are! Right before my brain surgery, Mamma and I were reading Psalm 23:4. It says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” As I was about to go through brain surgery, I understood that I might not live through it, but I was not afraid. I had such a peace that God had me right where he wanted me and that he was able to protect me, if he wanted to. I rested in that.
That was 7 years ago this year, and I could never have gotten to this point without the help of my mom and dad and my 9 siblings. I want to take a minute now to thank them.
Thank you, Daddy, for investing in your family and taking us on such big, once in a lifetime, trips across the country! I’m also so grateful that you were willing to spend those thousands and thousands of dollars to pay for my brain surgery!
Thank you, Mamma, for being there to teach and urge me on through all my school, and for being the one who was always there for me during my brain surgery and recovery!
Thank you, Jeremiah, for being such a fun big brother; and for the way you were so kind and gentle with me around the time of my brain tumor.
Thank you, Chastity, for trying your hardest to get me into running, and for how patient and loving you have been during my struggles!
Thank you, Charity, for being the one to inspire me with art and giving me tips to get better.
Thank you, Mercy, for being my main role model and always giving me tips without even knowing it.
Thank you, Than, for being such a fun little brother and when we were younger, letting me decide what we would play, even when you'd rather do something else!
Thank you, KK, for making us all super fun treats to make family times special.
Thank you, Lissie, for being the one I can talk to whenever, and for being my best buddy!
Thank you, Mic, for being my little buddy and being always ready and wanting to do stuff with me!
And thank you, Lathie Bug, for being my little Guinea Pig and letting me try fun things out on you, even if they turned out to be a mess!
Thank you, Pa, for being willing to take time to help me with my school and help make sure my education was well rounded and complete.
And thank you to the rest of my friends and family, for being there to support me during the rough times during my brain tumor and surgery.
As for me, I am planning on pursuing and learning all that I can from my mom in order to be the best wife and mother that I can be! In the meantime, before I get married, I will be working as a nanny and tutor. I also love art and drawing and watercolors, and I will be taking online Graphics Design courses to continue an art education, as well.
In closing I’d like to share another very special verse from Psalm 91 and one that I found and hope to never forget, verses 15 and 16: “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”
Lydia Joy Cox
For those of you who don’t know, my name is Lydia Cox. I have been blessed to be homeschooled my entire life, and if it’s the Lord’s will, I hope to one-day give my future children the same quality Christ-centered education.
I want to thank you, Mom and Dad, for your love, dedication, and hard work in giving me the best education, but most importantly, for teaching me to love and serve the Lord and showing what that means in your own lives.
Mom, how you serve the Lord, and how you serve and teach us kids without complaining, but with a joyful heart. Thank you for all the housekeeping and cooking instruction, for the Bible studies, and for the fun coffees just because. :) Thank you for encouraging me on my darkest days even though you didn’t know it, and for being the perfect example of what it means to be the Proverbs 31 woman. Thank you also for your wonderful example in how you love, honor, respect, and support Dad.
Dad, thank you for how fun you always are even with your stressful work and with the campaign. I will never forget our mission trip in London. From everyday witnessing on the streets, to seeing the sights of England and Scotland in our spare time. One night especially is forever engrained in my mind. You were having trouble staying awake at a red light, but before I could say anything a cab pulled up next to us and a very drunk British man proceeded to lean out the window and tell you in the most distinct British accent to, “Wake-e wake-e.” … All I can say is, thank heavens the light turned green. But most of all, thank you Dad for standing on the truth no matter what lies and hatred this world throws at you. You are an amazing example of what it means to serve the Lord and do His will even when it doesn’t feel good and only feels like a waste of time and effort. The outcome is the Lord’s, but through your obedience and Godly example, so many people, including myself, see Christ.
Mom and Dad, I could never thank you enough for all you’ve done, especially for raising me to serve the Lord.
Thank you to each and every one of my siblings who have made these past years so special, and for giving me the best of memories.
Josiah and Chelsey, you never fail to make me laugh when I’m with you. I love all the memories, and especially getting to know you as my sister, Chelsey. I will always look up to you both in how you persevere for Christ no matter how tough it gets.
Patience, thank you for all you’ve taught me, from horses, to guns, to fitness and much more. How you shine for Christ and patiently wait for Him has made such an impact on me, more than you could ever know.
Prudence and Finn, thank you for raising Murtagh and Orla in the love of the Lord, and for your range of fun conversations. Prudence, I will always remember the one night when I was little and I went crying to you because I was scared, for one reason or another, asking if I could stay in your room. I was then given a half-asleep reply that I should look in the trash can, … I found this so funny that I was perfectly fine that night in my own bed. And Murtagh, thank you for the extensive teachings on cars:)
Josh, thank you for giving me the honor of being one of the first to read you books, and for encouraging me that I shouldn’t compare my life to other’s because the Lord’s ways are best, and He has the perfect plan and timeline for my life. You are such a Godly example in how you serve Christ and seek His wisdom. Thank you also for bearing with my constant begging for a dance, and for giving me the honor even though you didn’t really feel like it.
Micah, thank you for the awesome playlists you’ve helped me create. I’ve also loved the countless chess games we’ve played together, even though you won most of the time :) Not every time, but close!
Lexie, I’ll never forget the daily delicious cups of coffee you make me, and our late-night conversations where we discussed almost everything under the sun. Thank you for being so sweet to me, even though all you wanted at that moment was a good night’s sleep.
Jackson, I love your sweet smile that shines every day. Thank you for being so kind to me and for being such an awesome example of what it means to be content and joyful in every situation when you had to be one-armed for months.
Gabe, I love seeing all your awesome inventions, made with materials such as Legos, wood, straws, duct tape, rubber bands, you name it. Thank you for being so sweet to me, and for all the sweet compliments, especially on Sunday mornings.
Caleb, my little “Mr. Moo,” I love you so much and treasure every second with you. I love all the little conversations we’ve had and stories you’ve told me. I especially love when you wake up early with me and call out my name from your crib.
I want to also thank my great-grandmother, Nana, and my wonderful grandparents on each side, Mommom and Pa, for the mac-n-cheese and Donkey Ollie, and Nana and Grandmom and Pa for the fun games in the addition.
Most of all, thank you all for showing me what it’s like to truly serve the Lord. I love each and every one of you and I treasure every moment we’ve had together.
I want to also thank my superintendent, who also happens to be my grandfather, for helping me and encouraging me along in my academic journey. I have especially enjoyed my time in your research paper class.
I would also like to thank staff member, Ruth Shell, for helping me along, especially in my role as Senior Class liaison this past year.
A special thank you to the rest of the staff as well, for your dedication and passion for Christ and homeschooling. Wellspring Christian Family Schools has been such a blessing, and I pray many more families will be blessed through it.
The most important thing that my parents have taught me, is about what Christ Jesus did for me on the cross. He poured Himself out to cleanse a sinner like me, and gives me unconditional mercy, grace, and love, so deep, so indescribable, and so undeserved.
A specific lesson He has been teaching me over my high school years, is to be patient and wait on the Lord. My favorite verse, and one that has always been an encouragement to me, is Isaiah 40:31: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
As to the future, I am not currently planning on college, but will be staying home for the time being, learning as much as I can from Mom, and continuing my training in the equestrian sport of showjumping.
To my fellow classmates. Congratulations! We’ve done it! As we come into this next chapter in our lives, we are going to experience good times and hard times, but we must always remember that God is sovereign, and He has the most perfect plan for each and every one of us. All we have to do is to trust, seek, glorify, and honor Him, and be diligent in everything He has set before us. He will renew our strength, and He is coming back!
Corrie Ten Boom, through all her hard times and trials, often quoted a poem by Grant Colfax Tullar, with which I will leave you now:
My life is but a weaving,
Between my God and me.
I do not choose the colors,
He worketh steadily,
Oft times He weaveth sorrow,
And I in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
and I the underside.
Not ‘til the loom is silent,
And shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas,
And explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the skillful Weaver’s hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
Joshua Landon Schott
Hello, my name is Joshua Schott, I am very excited to be here today.
Today is not a day of remembering how I got here, but how other people in my life helped me get here. On my own could I go through school? Maybe. In the end would I have a deeper understanding of God, would I have built a strong relationship with those around me? No, I would not have any of these things if it weren’t for my parents, brothers, sister, and teachers.
I first want to start out by thanking my parents.
Dad, you have always encouraged me in my walk with God and have been a great example of a hard worker. You taught me how to drive tractors and work hard from a young age. You are very kind and will stop anything you are doing to help or talk with me. I never want to stop learning from you no matter how old I get.
Mom, I would never be here if it weren’t for you, from staying up late to talk and helping me with homework, you never stopped helping me through life. Even when things looked impossible you helped me get through them. If it weren’t for you and your dedication to teaching, I would probably never have made it through school. I love how you always taught me from a biblical perspective. One of the most impactful verses is, Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might”, Without you I would not be the person I am today!
Thank you both for staying up late and talking about life in practical ways and always guiding me through life. I never want to stop learning from both of you.
To all my brothers and sister, Ben, Sarah, Austin, Seth, Colton, and Ethan. I am thankful to you for your support through my journey through school and always encouraging me in my faith with God.
To my brother-in-law Ben, you have been a great example of a Godly man, and you always help when you see something that needs to be done. Your energy brings life to anyone you’re around.
Sarah, you are always caring and ready to help. You taught me a lot and always watched out for us. Your smile brings joy to whatever room you are in.
Austin, you are a great older brother and never scared to try new things. You have taught me how to do a lot of things and are always willing to answer any questions I have. I will never forget all the late nights talking about farming and life.
Seth, you have the brains and will always have ideas to try to make something better. You are always helpful and encourage me in whatever I do. I love cracking jokes with you and enjoy talking about all your ideas.
Colton, you are always happy, I will never forget the days in Cambodia when we would wake up at 5 in the morning and blacksmith for a couple hours before it got too hot. You are a great worker and can make anything.
Ethan, I love your determination and willingness to get things done. You are never scared of work and always ready to jump in. I always enjoy popping wheelies with you and riding our dirt bike in Cambodia. You have a great sense of humor and always ready to laugh at a good joke.
I want to thank my whole family for being there when times were rough and laughing when things were easy.
For the past four years I have lived with my family in Cambodia, and I will never forget all the important lessons I learned. One of the most important lessons I learned was to be content with what you have. Never wish for something more or better. Even if we were sitting in Church sweating buckets because it was 120 degrees outside, I always learned to be content with where God had us. I will never forget all the miracles I saw God work in Cambodia.
To Pastor Cox and staff, I want to thank you for doing my portfolio reviews and teaching me a lot. I love how you all always tied Scripture into anything you were teaching me.
The Lord has helped me through school and has taught me many things through my school journey. As I continue with what God has for me next, I want to glorify Him in whatever I do. This fall my plan is to go to Huntington University in Indiana, where I will be majoring in Agribusiness and Crop Production. I am excited to go and see what God has for me there.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:31
Thank you!
Bethlyn Grace Stoltzfus
Hello everyone, thank you for being here to celebrate this huge milestone in my life, and the rest of the seniors’. It is an honor to be here, and to graduate from WCFS.
My name is Bethlyn Stoltzfus, I have been with WCFS for about 8 years, which seems like so long ago!
Wow, as I stand here today, I am truly so in awe of God’s faithfulness and goodness in my life over the last 14 years. There are so many different aspects that I could go on forever talking about. (Mom, you probably know that the best!) When I really narrow it down though, Gods faithfulness in this season is what kept me afloat; He continued to show up every single morning, even when I didn’t, and showed me mercy even though it didn’t feel like I deserved it.
I had to continually ask Him for strength and wisdom because I was reminded more times than I can count that I can’t do it in my own strength, but through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). I felt so much peace these last few years, and through the struggles of high school it seemed like God was the closest because He knew I needed Him and He stayed!
Homeschooling was such a special season, even though it had its share of highs and lows, of disappointment, and what felt like failure at times. But I can see the character and discipline that it has built in me. I’ve learned what true determination looks like, and that giving up is not an option when we have His strength and He sets something in front of us.
As Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we do not give up!”
So now because of the Lord, and because I did not give up, I get to reap that reward today by graduating high school! And you all get to witness the reaping of the harvest in each of these students’ lives.
I want to say thank you especially to my Mom, who has been my biggest cheerleader since day one, second to God. I couldn’t have gotten through this without your continued support, and the grace you showed me in this process. I’m so grateful for you and grateful to God that I got to spend all this time at home with you and the younger kids.
Also thank you to my Dad for being the rock in our family. Despite some of the hardships you’ve faced this last year, you still lead our family well and I’m grateful for that. To the rest of my family, I love you all so much, and I’m thankful for the relationship I’ve been able to build with each of you as I was homeschooling, and shout out to my brother for letting me use his computer for a lot of my assignments including my 15 pg. research paper I did this year.
I’m so excited and a little nervous for what is to come in the next season, but I already know God will be there every step!
I will be doing a gap year and just working, while also doing photography, until March of next year then I will be leaving for a YWAM DTS in Wyoming, so I’ll be in Wyoming for about 2 months, and then they send us in groups to the nations for another 2 months. I would then finish that in July 2027.
Lastly before I finish, I want to give a heartfelt thank you to all the WCFS staff, who have been by our side through all these years, thank you for stewarding well what God has given you, so that we as students are set up, with Biblical principles, to take on the world and remember who we are in Christ!
Kent Lincoln Grubbs
As I stand up here today, one thing constantly repeats in my head: “I can’t believe I got this far”. But here we are.
Over the years through high school, it became easy to lose sight of the end in mind. Through my teenage years, I found myself facing many hardships through school, the nights spent cramming for exams, the hours spent memorizing the quadratic formula even though I told myself I’d never use it or remember it, the weeks spent perfecting my research paper until even I was sick of the topic, and I’m sure most of my fellow graduates would agree with me that the journey is not always easy.
But as I stand here, on the finish line, two things are resonating with me: the first is how I could not have done this alone.
As I reflect back on my life from ages 14 to 18, I would like to give a huge, heartfelt thank you to first and foremost my parents. Despite my often and seemingly best efforts to not graduate and fail school, they stuck with what they knew would be best for my future, encouraging me, aiding me in my efforts, offering help and advice, giving insight and wisdom on how to shape my future, and just being the grounding rods I needed in a time in my life where many things were up in the air. When I often felt like I was performing with no objective, going through the motions of schooling instead of applying myself, they were there to show me the benefits and possibilities that could be granted me through hard work and dedication. They were there to force me to apply myself to the hard things, the subjects I hated, in the moment resisting but looking back I see the purpose and goal they saw that I had lost sight of, and I am forever grateful they never lost sight of it too.
I would like to thank my aunt Danae as well my grandmother. My aunt chiefly for her huge financial support in my educational endeavors, using her fiscal resources to provide me with a social outlet, to find my peers, to explore my interests and find my passions, just by helping fund programs and co-ops that shaped who I am now.
I would like to thank both my grandma and my aunt for all their incredible support in my educational journey through their advice and insight they have offered time and time again to me, suggestions they have lended me on my future, and where they see I could excel in life based on my interests and their real world experience. Those talks in the kitchen about where I see my life going have not been taken for granted, guys, and I am forever grateful to have you in my life.
I would like to thank my adjacently aged siblings, my older sister for leading me by example and making me determined to NOT be the first high school dropout in my family; if Adia can do it, I can do it too. And to both her and my younger brother Sawyer, thank you for being my best friends through high school. Nothing we have done together has any application to my high school journey in an educational sense, so I will refrain from sharing our adventures from here, but just know I hold those memories very close to my heart.
I would also like to thank my girlfriend Charlotte for her support during this time. I know you came onto the scene much later than all of the aforementioned people, but I would like to thank you for all you have done for me the past year we have been together. This last year of school has been incredibly decisive for me, and I want to thank you for all the support you have given me, forcing me to do my Spanish homework and take notes with you instead of goofing off the entire class, devise plans and goals through my educations, and during my lowest points, oppressed by stress and uncertainty from my schooling, you let me know that whatever I chose to do or whatever path I decided to take, you would always be with me and there for me, and I cannot express my gratitude for what that did for me.
From the bottom of my heart, to all of you, I love you so incredibly much and each in your own individual way, thank you.
Lastly and most importantly, I would like to thank God, for all He has done through this journey for me. The trials and hardships, the exciting moments He has gifted me, the tough choices He has presented me and the tough pills I’ve had to swallow sometimes as results of those choices, all of it, I thank Him for giving me these things, because they shaped me into the person I am now, and hopefully will continue to shape me as the years go on, out of high school. I thank Him for giving me all the people I mentioned before, because without them, I truly could not have accomplished this. And I thank Him for everything He has had me learn through this four year journey, which brings me to the second thing resonating with me as I stand here.
Over the years, I have learned much through my education, but the thing that sticks with me the most is something that wasn’t taught from a textbook or curriculum, it’s something my dad told me a few months ago, when I was trying to decide what to do with my future, something that I realized I had been living but couldn’t put my finger on; “there’s something about seeing a job through to the end that says a lot about the person you are”. Even if you don’t necessarily see the benefits of it immediately, even if you don’t think you’re going to benefit from it in the future, even if it’s hard in the moment and you don’t want to do it, have the determination and will to finish a job you started.
That’s often how I felt about high school. There were times where I thought about dropping out; I told myself I didn’t want to pursue a profession that relied on this schooling, I often found it too difficult to have any real benefit, I felt lost in it and just wanted to quit it. But somehow I’ve seen it through, and find myself here in front of you all, and I know that no matter what I decide to do with my life, I am glad I have made it this far. Even though I know there is a very good chance I will never use x equals B-, plus or minus the square root of B squared, minus 4 AC, over 2a, I am still glad I took the time to learn it, and I probably will never forget it. Even if I don’t pursue a career built on anything learned over the past four years, I am still incredibly happy I have finished the journey, and I know I will look back on this time in my life with satisfaction of a job completed.
From here, I’m not entirely sure where I would like to take my life. I would like to continue to pursue my newfound passion and interest in sales and insurance, but that might carry me into fields more akin to finance and investing, which would require additional schooling.
No matter what I decide to do or what God calls me to do, I feel accomplished and grateful today as I watch this chapter of my life close, and a new chapter just beginning as I move forth from here.
Caden Isaias Prieto-Cross
Good afternoon fellow graduates, WCFS families, and guests to Wellspring Christian Family Schools 2026 High School Graduation.
My name is Caden Prieto and I’ve been a part of WCFS for my entire life ever since kindergarten. My earliest memory of Wellspring was a workshop I attended at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Back then I was at least 4 years old and I remember walking up a little hill with my older brother and other students, following Brad Main to a rodeo arena with a covered roof to play dodgeball. All I remember from that day was being terrified of getting hit by a ball and hiding behind the “big kids” for protection.
Fast forward a few years, I remember having my portfolio reviews with Becky Wyand. I remember waiting eagerly for the review to end so I could go outside and play basketball in the parking lot. Around that time in my life, I have distinct memories of singing hymns here in this very room, being accompanied by Nana on the piano during workshops.
Fast forward more years, I remember going to Roxbury multiple times for the Leadership Conference. The best memories I have from Roxbury were catching up with old friends, making new friends, playing games, having great conversations, and enjoying the beautiful campus.
Ever since middle and high school, my homeschool co-op in Baltimore County has met on the same days as workshops so I haven’t been as connected to the WCFS community. However, I have vivid memories of Nathanel Cox and Lyte Shell being welcoming, cordial, and friendly to me at Roxbury for multiple years, as I had been detached from the school’s community so to speak. And it wasn’t just Nathanel and Lyte who made me feel welcome. It was everyone from the student community who helped me throw my shyness out the door.
Ever since kindergarten I have been in multiple communities whether it be my youth group, co-op, Bible study, or sports teams, but I can confidently testify here today that the WCFS community is the best community I’ve ever been a part of. Now please don’t get me wrong, that’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed and been edified by my other communities. On the contrary, actually. The difference is, is that I’ve never been treated as kindly, hospitably, or as welcomed in any other of my circles. I thank God for the impact WCFS has made on my life. I remember going on the way to Roxbury nervous and shy, but later not wanting to leave when I had to go home because of the rich blessing of the WCFS community.
This coming fall I’ll be attending Cairn University, formerly known as Philadelphia College of the Bible. My older brother Manolito will be starting his junior year at Cairn this fall. For over a year, I haven’t known where I wanted to attend college or if I would attend at all. So over the past year I’ve been praying that God directs me to a college. For many months it was as if He weren’t responding, but instead of quitting my daily prayers for wisdom and guidance, I was persistent and continued.
It was a month ago on the way to baseball practice that I realized the Lord wanted me to attend Cairn. While I was waiting on the Lord to answer my prayers, I was looking for a specific sign, a green light almost, to attend one of the colleges I applied to. What I realized was that God didn’t give me a specific moment where He said, “Caden, I want you to go to Cairn University.” What He did was reveal to me so many little signs all leading me to Cairn.
In conclusion, I’d like to thank my family, parents, friends, teachers, those who’ve served in our country’s Armed Forces, and the Lord for helping me run the race of high school and to cross the finish line.
In particular, I would like to thank my parents for the tremendous sacrifice they’ve made these past 18 years in homeschooling me. My dad has faithfully provided for my family and my mom left the workforce to raise me in the Lord. I wouldn’t be the same person today if they had sent me to public or to private school.
This past February, I watched the Midyear Teacher’s Conference online. Something that stood out to me from Mr. Gary's talk has stuck with me since then. I am in full agreement of it and I can repeat it with confidence as I conclude this speech: “homeschooling is the best venue to raise enthusiastic followers of Jesus Christ.”
Thank you for listening to my testimony today and may the Lord sweetly bless you and your family.
Freeman Truth Shell
Greetings. My name is Truth Shell.
I have reached the light! The twelve years of grueling education finally overcome. I am overjoyed. But I didn’t make it here on my own.
First, I must thank The Almighty King of the Universe for giving me the privilege of living on His beautiful earth, and the opportunity to learn about it with Him. There is scarcely a day that passes in which I’m not marveling at what He has done for me thus far, and how blessed I am to be living in a time and place that offers so many opportunities to learn. Ignorance is bliss, but also loneliness and death. I wish to continue striving daily to know Him better, and honor Him in all I learn and do in the upcoming years.
Next, I wish to thank my mother… but alas, I lack words! These 18 years you have pushed me forward, put up with me, and corrected me, but above all, you loved me. If it wasn’t for your constant encouragement, hourly reminders, and twice-daily lectures, I wouldn’t be who I am today, and almost certainly wouldn’t have finished this year of high school on time. I truly love and appreciate you, and your lessons will be close to my heart in these next years apart.
I also want to thank my father. You have been a lifelong example to me of diligence, honesty, courage, carefulness, longsuffering, and Godliness. It seems that every time I came to you with troubles, be it spiritual, mental, or emotional, you always had years of thought and study, backed by scripture, ready to set me on the right path again. You inspire me, and I can only pray to meet the standard you have set. I love and appreciate you, and am so blessed to have you as my father.
Fourth, I’d like to thank my sister Francy. I say this not as flattery, but because it is true; you are an inspiration. Your high standards and unwavering loyalty to them have, though at times annoyed us, shaped us to be more upright and observant people. Particularly your standards in your spiritual life. Those talks during 10th grade in the upstairs room in Marion when I would be tired of school are treasured memories. I remember feeling safe to open my heart up to you, knowing you wouldn’t mock or criticize, but care and help. I look forward to these next years of being in closer contact now that we’re no longer on opposite sides of the planet.
Fifth, I thank my sister Ruth. Ruth… you are a national treasure. Second only to Papa, I think you are the most confident and capable person I have had the honor of knowing, let alone being related to. Every day is brighter with you. Have a school problem? Call Ruth! She’ll know the answer! Have a speech coming up and you’re nervous? Call Ruth! She’ll hype you up! Have a broken leg? Call Ruth! She’ll help you walk it off! I have countless fond memories with you, and look forward to making many more in the upcoming years.
Sixth, I must thank my sister Miriam. Having you as my fourth mother has been a blessing in so many ways. From the days in Mongolia playing cops and robbers on abandoned, crumbling, life-endangering buildings, to the days in the little white house in Virginia with you and your art tablet, helping me understand math, to the days at Milnor, staying up to feed the rejected triplet kids that I decided to keep and promised to help feed then left to you, to the recent days of you helping me finish my research paper, or talking about our stories. You have always been there to encourage me to press forward, and held me to the standards that you knew I could reach. I am greatly anticipating these next years with you and Josh in West Virginia.
Now to my brother Lyte. Where do I start? We have always been together. Whether rummaging through the dump and bringing home junk electronics to tinker with, distracting each other from school with crazy ideas for giant robots, or with random things that were only interesting because they weren’t math problems. Also, those Saturdays where we would lay in bed and make up stories about bombing each other's houses, and then make up for it by paying each other “A million bajilion safiarilion” dollars, and make up words in the language of “Ulchiga” simply to be able to translate what we said, or more recently, finding excuses to have to re-install the operating system on our laptops for the umpteenth time that week because we wanted to try a new Linux distro. It feels like you were always there, doing it with me, and that makes the memories all the more special. I am looking forward to doing way more crazy and fun things with you in the future. (I think I still hold the record for OS re-installs, right? I lost count last year.)
Next, I’d like to thank myself… For sticking with my schoolwork schedule every year, getting straight ‘A’s, missing no deadlines, not causing any stress for those around me, getting everything done on my own in a timely manner, never getting distracted, and not having any self-induced existential crisis. Everything went so well, and I’m so sad it’s over.
But finally, I’d like to thank the wonderful people who made it possible for me to homeschool in the first place. The WCFS staff. You are all so patient, helpful, and encouraging.
Firstly, Mr. Joel. He left a permanent mark on WCFS, its staff and students. Admittedly, he was scary at times, but he was an upright and Godly example, and I could tell he pulled more than his share of weight during workshops, student council meetings, and Expo. He and his trivia will be missed, but I’m sure he is greatly appreciated wherever he is now.
And Ms. Donna, I always enjoyed your STEM projects after workshops. I don’t know how you managed to keep all those teenagers organized and not burning down the office. You are truly amazing.
Again to my sisters. All three, capable Shell women. If it wasn’t for you three working there, I couldn’t have survived high school. So often I would call one of you to answer my questions that I could have answered by going to the beautiful website that you built, but instead would call and ask you directly. You’re all heroes to me.
And finally, Mr. Gary. Thank you for following God’s direction to start WCFS, and working with Him all these years to protect children from the toxic teachings of the institutional education world. I truly have been blessed by it. May He bless you in return.
This chapter of my life is coming to a close, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. God’s will was done, and each of you had a pivotal role in it that I appreciate.
To all the young students after me… keep calm and carry on. I know sometimes you want to hit the books more literally than figuratively, and I’m sad to say it only gets harder from where you are. But you only keep getting smarter. And after all, if it wasn't hard, it wouldn’t be learning.
I know that to that you might say, “I don’t want to learn this though. Learning isn’t my choice, I feel forced to.” To that I say, “I know. I thought the exact same thing. I literally did my research paper on it because I still feel the same.” But WCFS has a solution, and I only suffered because I didn’t take advantage of what it offers. No, they did not pay me to say this.
I truly think this is the best advice I can offer from my experience: Take full advantage of opportunities WCFS offers. Putting a few hours of deep research into WCFS’s full potential will save you months of pain. You can literally do your hobby and log it as education credit.
I could rant about that for hours, but my time’s up. As for my future, I am currently planning to stay with my sister Miriam in West Virginia, where I’ll get accustomed to adult life, and wait for God’s call.
As Exodus 33:14 promised; “His presence has gone with me, and He has given me rest.”
So I continue forward, only trusting in Him.
Thank you.
Timothy Peter Valdes
Good evening everyone, we finally did it!
After years of scrambling to get things ready for portfolio reviews and seeing all my siblings graduate before me, it is finally my turn.
If you had told me years ago that I would be standing here giving a graduation speech, I probably would have laughed. Not because I didn’t want this moment but because, for most of my life, school felt like a mountain I was never built to climb.
There are people graduating today who fought battles nobody saw. Battles with anxiety, depression, family problems, financial stress, learning difficulties, loneliness, grief, or simply the feeling of never being “good enough.” But here’s something I’ve learned: struggling does not mean you are incapable. Taking longer does not mean you are failing. And needing help does not make you weak.
That’s what this graduation really means to me.
Not perfection. Persistence. And hard work that pays off. Because every person sitting here today has a story behind this diploma. Some stories were smooth. Some were painful. Some nearly ended before they had the chance to continue. But we are still here. And we made it.
Among the work it took to get here I need to thank the people who helped me to get here. My parents, who never gave up on me and always gave me the much-needed wisdom that I didn’t always want to hear but always needed to hear. My siblings, who stuck by my side, and gave me a quite eventful childhood. My friends, that encouraged me to finish, who always listened to my rants and spent all those times playing games together. And last but certainly not least, WCFS staff for guiding me and my family through and helping us accomplish everything. Saying thank you will never be enough to show the appreciation I have for all of these people.
In my future I plan to go to fashion school at University of Maryland eastern shore and focus on my career in costume design.
Thank you everyone for coming out, and go class of 2026!
Congratulations also to Hallie Marie Noble who graduated in absentia.
