April 29 was a day for farewells and new beginnings at the Academy.  It was the last day of regular classes prior to exams for members of the Class of 2011.  At the end of the day, the entire student body assembled in the gym for a formal “goodbye” for the twelfth graders.  Students and staff watched the seniors’ annual photo slide show on the gym’s big screen.  Also, the seniors “pinned” this year’s juniors and urged them to be ready to step forward as next year’s campus leaders.  Seniors then made a large ring around the gym floor and counted backwards from 111 in their “Senior Countdown.” Finally, students from grades eighth through eleventh formed a giant receiving line that led from the gym to the school’s courtyard for the “Senior Walk of Honor.”  The twelfth graders were the last students to leave the gym, and as they filed out of the building and off campus, they were greeted, hugged, and high-fived by the students who will return to the Academy next year.