Graduation 2021

 

The Class of 2021 was able to gather to celebrate their accomplishments.  We had a few current and former ENL students over for dinner the night before graduation.  

Xiao came up from Brooklyn for graduation, having gone there in the early stages of the pandemic.  I collected on some work credit at the William Henry Miller Inn for his accommodations.  He gave it a five-star review.

This year's graduating ENL students and one of their teachers.  What a treat to have been able to work with them as much as I did.

The new stadium was almost finished so commencement was held on it.  Aside from the smell of plastic off-gassing, it was a fine ceremony (actually four to limit the gathering size).  Hannah bowed her head as her classmates and the guests sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

Xiao and Mimi were such a team for four years.  You never would have guessed they hadn't been in each other's presence in over 15 months.  When they reunited at our house it was as if they'd been together all along.

 Eh Gay Mu and El Ree are two Karen kids who graduated this year, though they'd left behind ENL services long ago.  They were both the youngest of families we worked with for many years.  While it was disappointing to not see them finish their junior and senior years, I have many fond memories of sharing a classroom with them and their older siblings.

Then there are those who "graduate" to retirement.  I caught Jim entering school for his final day after over 40 years, he really showed me the ropes as far as dealing with teenagers when I first started.  Sue and I have been sharing the teaching assistant role in ENL for many years; Jen read a sweet tribute to her about how many times in our classroom we'd hear students say, "Miss C....."  They and the other retirees will be missed and their legacies will live on at IHS.