Pomp & Circumstance

Every May and June, the annual ritual of graduation commences. Some go from Kindergarten to elementary, some graduate from high school, and others leave college for the cold, cruel clutches of the real world.

The current pandemic has forced some things to change. Here locally, I know they  have been having drive-thru ceremonies. That is where they drive up to a stage set up outside, walk across the stage, and then back in the car. Some even do it in parade formation, which I find interesting (and a lot more entertaining that sitting in the gym for hours during a boring ceremony…just saying).

I want to talk about a couple of things related to this class, though. First, let’s think about what they’ve lived through. 9/11, War on terror, Hurricane Katrina and Rita, recession, increased political infighting, the rise of social media and streaming platforms, increased racial tension, OBAMA, trump, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, global warming, Coronavirus, and I’m sure there are some other things that I left out. Someone said that because of all those, we are destined to get some great leaders, innovators, and creative minds. Let’s hope so, because what we have now….well, my mom said, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!

Back in March, everything shut down. For graduating seniors, that meant the loss of the last few months of high school, prom, and various other school and senior activities. Sure, some of them were probably relishing in the fact that it was less time that had to be spent in the hell hole of a school they attended, but others were genuinely shaken up.

This got me to thinking….what if this happened when I was high school. I attended 2 high schools. The first one, I loved with a passion! The second was the polar opposite and I impatiently counted down the days to get out of there. So, had this happened back in those days, I would have gladly welcomed not having to go back. Aside from that, though, would I have missed anything? A band festival, State Beta convention, and Social Studies fair. Don’t get me started on how that was just for seniors and I had to be enrolled in economics (a class I had passed at my other school), just because they wanted all seniors to participate.

I don’t miss that school, but I do regret the way my senior year played out. Had I stayed at my first school (left because my dad retired from the military), I’m sure I would have been in tears the night of my graduation, rather than already packed and ready to head to college. Alas, everything happens for a reason. I guess my pain and suffering for the 2nd half of high school was meant to shape me in some sort of way, right?

Oh well! That was in the dark ages, as they say. For this crop of graduates, a new slate of challenges and experiences await them that none of us have had to go through, thanks to the virus. They’ve lived through everything else, I’m sure they’ll make it out of this, too.

Graduation day

Well, the day has finally come! Graduation day for high school seniors in my area. 12 yrs of hard work rewarded with a seemingly never ending ceremony. One of these graduates is my neighbor, so I will be attending the ceremony to support the kid. Can’t say I’m not proud, either. He deserves to walk across that stage and have his moment

I was thinking back to my graduation. Yeah, that was back in the dark ages of the mid-90s! First off, because my father retired from the military and decided to buy a farm, I was forced to attend a school that I hated. I still hold resentment about that, btw.

That’s not the point of this post, though. For me, because I was nothing more than a band nerd and the perpetual “new kid” and the “goodie two-shoes”, I didn’t attend any parties, didn’t celebrate with my “classmates”, or any of that (I was invited to a party, though). Want to know what my reward for graduating high school was?

Yep, a Quarter Pounder w/cheese value meal. No fancy sit down dinner or anything like that (that’s not really my thing, but its the sentiment that counts). I sat in the backseat on the way home ate my graduation dinner and listened to my parents go on about how i needed to get a job before I headed off to college. You know, the typical parental spiel. Amazing how proud they were just a few minutes earlier!

I hope my young neighbor’s parental units don’t do the same thing to him. He deserves a much bigger “treat”. I’m sure I can’t be the only who didn’t have the best post-high school graduation experience, right? Thankfully, my college graduation was a much better experience

Oh well, guess I should plan my next trip to the beach. Anyone want to come with me?