Graduation 2013
15/06/13 06:22
I'll be damned. He made it. He graduated from High school. Not the school we wanted him to graduate from but that is water over the dam. He almost made it. He got three and a half years at St. Thomas and spent the last half year at Portsmouth where he graduated. His time at St. Thomas was not wasted although I can't say with absolute certainty that he took full advantage of what they had to offer. It was certainly a more challenging curriculum then he would have had at Portsmouth so the fact that he had the time he did there is probably not a bad thing. But he is not, and has never been, a strong finisher. As much as I have tried to convince him of the importance of finishing strong he has gone in the completely oppose direction in most cases. Doing that in Portsmouth put him in jeopardy of not graduating so as you can imagine the e-mails exchanged, the discussions, the anguish, and the craziness that we went through in these past few months. I have to say that the people at Portsmouth were terrific to the end. They made all the difference in getting Evan over the finish line. They were determined not to let Evan be a statistic. Thank you, Mrs. Grenier and thank you Mr. Collins. Your dedication to your trade and the students you nurture is inspiring to say the least. Your dedication to our son did not go unnoticed. We applaud you.
The graduation event itself was anticlimactic. Nancy has never quite gotten over the St. Thomas fiasco and never quite warmed up to the Portsmouth experience. When we went to the school to sign him up Nancy was not quite herself. She was not wanting to engage or discuss and spoke as little as possible. She was never more than a moment away from breaking into tears from the ordeal and she was a woman on the edge. She was ashamed for her son and ashamed for herself. For that, I will never forgive Evan. To put your mother through something like that is unforgivable. In that same vein, we sought out the least conspicuous of corners at the commencement in which to hide where we could see our son receive his diploma but not engage the crowds. Not engage the parents faces we know and the children with whom Evan has grown up in and around this town of ours. The school had a small auditorium where they accommodated a handful of elderly and the infirm and where they could see the proceedings on a large screen. The video was not the best but it was all we needed. It was comfortable and cool and there were maybe 15-20 people there. It was just right. Nancy's mom joined us as well and it was perfect for her. Not sure how she would have made out in the hot auditorium. We were where we needed to be.
It was a beautiful evening. After several days of rain and darkness, the early evening air was cool and delicious with the sun in all its glory descending slowly but deliberately on the horizon. The rains had all but washed away any heat and humidity in the air and it was a most refreshing change and perfect for the occasion. It was a nice night for the laddies to enjoy themselves and to bask in the afterglow of their accomplishments after 4 years at the school. A moment in the sun before they land on their feet and have to embrace the world once again with eyes wide open. I could feel the excitement in the air as I watched the young men and women without a worry in the world walking up to get their diplomas. As hard as I tried I did not get a good picture of Evan and the tassel that Nancy said Evan lost got in the way of the one shot that I thought I had which might be okay. It was not. Oh, well. It was kind of consistent with the events of the past year so did not otherwise surprise me. Maybe some else has a good picture that they will be willing to share. The commencement ended with a toss of the caps into the air and that was that. We did not see Evan as we left and he met up with us at nana's a short while later for burgers and fries. Remind me not to go to 603 Burgers anytime soon. The food was just not that good. It was the one exception to an otherwise exceptional evening.
The graduation event itself was anticlimactic. Nancy has never quite gotten over the St. Thomas fiasco and never quite warmed up to the Portsmouth experience. When we went to the school to sign him up Nancy was not quite herself. She was not wanting to engage or discuss and spoke as little as possible. She was never more than a moment away from breaking into tears from the ordeal and she was a woman on the edge. She was ashamed for her son and ashamed for herself. For that, I will never forgive Evan. To put your mother through something like that is unforgivable. In that same vein, we sought out the least conspicuous of corners at the commencement in which to hide where we could see our son receive his diploma but not engage the crowds. Not engage the parents faces we know and the children with whom Evan has grown up in and around this town of ours. The school had a small auditorium where they accommodated a handful of elderly and the infirm and where they could see the proceedings on a large screen. The video was not the best but it was all we needed. It was comfortable and cool and there were maybe 15-20 people there. It was just right. Nancy's mom joined us as well and it was perfect for her. Not sure how she would have made out in the hot auditorium. We were where we needed to be.
It was a beautiful evening. After several days of rain and darkness, the early evening air was cool and delicious with the sun in all its glory descending slowly but deliberately on the horizon. The rains had all but washed away any heat and humidity in the air and it was a most refreshing change and perfect for the occasion. It was a nice night for the laddies to enjoy themselves and to bask in the afterglow of their accomplishments after 4 years at the school. A moment in the sun before they land on their feet and have to embrace the world once again with eyes wide open. I could feel the excitement in the air as I watched the young men and women without a worry in the world walking up to get their diplomas. As hard as I tried I did not get a good picture of Evan and the tassel that Nancy said Evan lost got in the way of the one shot that I thought I had which might be okay. It was not. Oh, well. It was kind of consistent with the events of the past year so did not otherwise surprise me. Maybe some else has a good picture that they will be willing to share. The commencement ended with a toss of the caps into the air and that was that. We did not see Evan as we left and he met up with us at nana's a short while later for burgers and fries. Remind me not to go to 603 Burgers anytime soon. The food was just not that good. It was the one exception to an otherwise exceptional evening.