Nastia is now an alumnus. She graduated High School on Wednesday June 20th, 2018. It's a day that She has long looked forward to and a day that is or will be a sign post in her life. The Sign post will read, "The Day it all changed, again".
This is the second sign post in our children's lives. The first one obviously is the day Teri and I adopted them, which surprisingly they don't remember. This Second one will be one she will remember better. There will be the loss of security of being a child and going to school every day.
The Class of 2018 was set to graduate from the cozy confines of the Field House at Rockland Community College. The Reason given for moving it to RCC was the size of the class,it was, by my count about 325 students plus teachers who helped to make the ceremony run smooth.
The RCC Field House is the size of three basketball courts. At the far end of the building stands were pulled out from the wall on three sides. Seats were put on the floor for students and handicapped, plus a few hardy souls in the farthest reaches. We sat in the stands, on the gold side where Nastia would sit.
Teri found us some courtside seats near our daughter. My Mother, Nancy,Teri, Amanda and myself were all there willingly, Elena, not so much. She would rather have stayed home and watched TV. I couldn't blame her. We got there early, Nastia needed to be there by 5:15 and we were there before 5.It was set to start at 6:30. Nastia puts on her robes for the ceremony for the first time outside the field house and discovers the hat is too big. Several attempts are made to fix it including rolling up one corner of the hat in the back, using a paper clip, which gets caught in her hair. Success is never attained and she suffers with the hat. We sit on hard wooden seats waiting for the evening to begin. A little after six, a person gets behind the mic asking all students to take there assigned seats, I hoped we are beginning early. The Kids sit, all non-students are asked to leave the area. Each row is called and they exit the are and go behind a curtain to assemble, some students are given special robes for achieving certain honors.
About 6:30,it all begins. Now I remember my High School graduation. We sat out on the football field on a Saturday, I think, it was like 90 degrees and sunny. A parade of speakers, none I knew got up to speak and all said about the same thing. You are about to start that great journey of life.... I was bored, hot and wanted to leave. After it was over, wad of gum in my mouth, I barely let my Mom take pictures. My Dad was working.
Nastia's, in the field House is only bad because of the seats and this idiot student who kept yelling when friends got up to get their diploma. The Ceremony did have it's group of speakers talking about the great journey they were embarking on,what else could you talk about. The School Principal did talk about his backpacking trip through India/ China, I think, that was a little interesting. The Valedictorian and the Salutatorian gave the 'We are embarking on our great adventure' speeches. One did it in rhyme, which I thought was horrid, well what can I say. Everyone's speeches were short. we did run over the 7:30 end time and by the time we got out of the Field House it was late and We then went to the Hard Wok Chinese Buffet to celebrate, it was after 9. It was a long tiring day, but We all got to celebrate the graduation of Teri and my oldest daughter. I hope this is the start of a wonderful life for her. And She looks back on this day warmly.
n
