Graduation

Kern High School District Continuation Schools 2007 Graduates

It's that time of year. The end of May, the beginning of June; graduations. The end of one of life's installments, the beginning of a new installment.

Yesterday was no exception. Although technically she graduated two weeks ago, yesterday was Carli's graduation ceremony. Originally she hadn't wanted to attend the ceremony but something or someone changed her mind and she signed up.

For the last year and a half she had been attending Vista West High School. It's what's called a "continuation high school". When both the kids were younger and we drove past the school on busy Rosedale Highway we used to joke around that it was a school for "bad kids".

You know, that's the school where the dope addicts, truants, criminals-in-training, and this-close-to-dropping-out kids go. Kind of a last-chance-to-get-a-diploma-rather-than-GED kind of school.

Oops. Never thought one of our kids would be going to a school for "bad kids".

Carli ended up going there because she was a "stage two of four" truant. She was behind on her credits and seemed very angry. She didn't like many of her teachers and didn't seem to like a lot of the other kids either. Vista West was her last chance.

Turns out it was a "good thing." She didn't know any of the kids at her new school so she stuck to herself. Nobody bothered her and so she didn't bother anyone else. A lot of her old "friends" from her previous school began showing their true colors when they started getting into trouble. That made it easy to stay away from them. The credit system is a little different so she was able to earn the credits she needed to graduate at a slightly accelerated rate.

The ceremony was to take place at 3 pm. It was to be held in the borrowed auditorium of a "real" high school downtown. Five continuation schools from around the county would be sharing their graduation ceremony. The smallest had only three graduates.

We sat somewhere near the back and the graduates filed in promptly at 3:00. I hoped the zoom on my new camera would work. As the proceedings carried on I looked around. It seemed my husband and I were the only "normal" people there. Maybe my perceptions of the continuation schools had been correct to begin with. People were carrying on conversations while the speakers were trying to give their speeches. The class representatives (they didn't have valedictorians or anything like that) could barely stumble through their speeches.

My zoom worked pretty well. And the "trim" feature does too!

Maybe I'm just getting old. I don't remember this type of disrespect in my time. People these days just seem to be really rude, crude, and obnoxious. To me it's okay if it's in the privacy of your own home, but not in public.

Finally, the students walked across the stage to get their diplomas. The majority of them were fine, but there were a few that thought they had to put on a show for friends and family. One of the speakers talked about the possibility of this class containing future doctors, lawyers, maybe even a future president. Not from what I saw. They have a lot of serious growing up to do first.

Okay, kids, time to join the real world. I sincerely hope they all become productive, successful, happy citizens. Sooner, rather than later.

So far, I know at least one kid that has.

Congratulations, Carli!

New graduate and her BFF Brooke, aka Bean Dip