In the Words of Pink Floyd...

SCHOOOOL'S OUT! FOR! SUMMER!
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Today was the last day of school, at long last! You can see by the expressions on these faces how heartbroken they are to say good-bye to our hallowed halls for the next 10 weeks.

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My rowdy 2nd period English class. I think we need a break from each other!

Yesterday would have been the last day, but there are only 3 snow days in the school calendar and we used 4 this year. Thus we had to return today even though the seniors graduated last night. (Seniors didn't have to come back.)

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Here's my 1st period English class. Much less rowdy. You may notice one boy in both pictures. He repeated an English class to make up a lost credit.

I still have to go back on Tuesday for my last day. I need to finish inventorying my classroom, clean out some files, and do a few final odds and ends. As department chair, I also have to make sure everyone in my department is officially checked out of school for the summer.

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Then I can say farewell to this computer, where I spend a great deal of my time each day.

For an entire 10 weeks, I will not have to face these stacks of folders to grade and federal documents (IEPs) to write!

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Summer will be bliss!

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The commencement ceremonies were held in the gym again this year. Last year it was a freak snowstorm. This year it's a rain-and-thunderstorm system we never see this time of year.

It was crowded and warm, but everything went well. Dylan played "Pomp and Circumstance" with the band. I beamed with pride as my children's friends and many of my students crossed the stage to receive their diplomas, a few of whom barely earned them by the skin of their teeth!

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I got pictures of several Native American graduates who proudly displayed their tribal finery along with the traditional caps and gowns. They had to fight for the right to do so, but I love to see the pride they feel in their Apache heritage.

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Aren't they beautiful?

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One of my favorite parts of graduation is the senior video. We have the longest graduation ceremony on the mountain (2 hours) due to this video, which typically runs 30 minutes or more, but I love it.

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Set to various songs, it begins with photos of the graduating class taken through the years, starting in elementary school. (In our rural area, many of these kids have known each other since they were toddlers).

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It then features a baby picture of each graduate, followed by a current photo. We all enjoy guessing who each baby will turn out to be. To me, it's the best part of the evening and well worth the extra time!

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I'll attach a short clip of the senior video. Being a video of a video shown on the gym wall, it's a little grainy, but you'll get the feel of it!