Graduation stirs up fond memories
I don’t remember much of anything from my eighth-grade
graduation from Sacred Heart School, other than I had to dance with
my mom at the ceremony (no offense, Mom).
Graduation stirs up fond memories
I don’t remember much of anything from my eighth-grade graduation from Sacred Heart School, other than I had to dance with my mom at the ceremony (no offense, Mom).
Did we dance to an Air Supply hit? Perhaps Lionel Ritchie? Couldn’t tell ya.
Graduation was an important milestone in my life; we just didn’t videotape things back then, so my memory about the night is vague.
Never had I imagined on that June 1983 night that 26 years later I would be watching my oldest son participate in the same ceremony at the same school, with my dad as the graduation speaker, my mom in the audience, and my wife and I attempting to control the waves of emotion that washed over us.
At Sacred Heart, where the entire graduating class is smaller than my yearbook class at San Benito High School and many of those students have been at the school for nine years, emotional bonds are formed.
Last week’s graduation was not just a single ceremony: it was a two-day event that included an assembly to honor grads in front of underclassmen; a Mass in church; a parent-child dinner; and the commencement ceremony itself.
My wife had prepared herself to be hit with emotion (OK, I did, too) as we watched our boy take the next step toward adulthood. Wasn’t it just yesterday that we watched him sit on Judy Rider’s lap for a picture at Methodist Preschool graduation?
Now he’s four years away from college.
The most emotional part, surprisingly, was the pre-graduation assembly during which many of the teachers, from first-grade through eighth, took the microphone to offer their remembrances of the class of 2009.
Some shared memories about humorous classroom events or offered sage advice as these teens head to the big, scary world of high school. Many of the teachers had to fight back the tears as they looked back with fondness on the little kids that had grown up before their eyes.
One of the most touching comments came from the teacher that pointed out the students who made a point to say hello to her every time they saw her in the hall. It was a simple act, she acknowledged, but one that meant a lot to her.
As for my son, he played it cool throughout graduation week. He’s excited about taking the next step in life, not having to wear a uniform to school (though there is a dress code), and becoming a Baler. He’s ready to go.
On the other hand, in a quiet moment, he acknowledged that he’ll miss his elementary school, the teachers and the friends he has made over the past eight years. He’s no longer a big fish in a small pond. Come August, he’ll be one of nearly 3,000 fish in a really big pond.
For better or for worse, dear old Dad will be on the edge of that pond, watching as he finds his way in his new surroundings.
Until then, it is time to look back with fondness and appreciation for the education he received at Sacred Heart. Our little boy, who used to insist that Mom or Dad walk him to his classroom in first grade, will now walk on his own – literally and figuratively.
He gave his mom a final dance at the graduation dinner (I already don’t remember the song), changed from the little boy who held her hand to the young man that is five inches taller than she.
We’ll continue to be there for him, watching him on his latest journey, supporting him if he stumbles; thankful that the past eight years have set him on a path toward success.
