There are always milestones growing up. First steps, first words, learning to ride a bike, and first day of school. The biggies, are sometimes endings too. The end of needing a binky, the end of wearing a diaper, and the last time you’re picked up by your parents. Those ending you rarely remember, or realize. When you graduate high school, that is a beginning and ending rolled into a cacophony of firsts and lasts.
On May 26, 2023 my middle kid (Indiana) wondered across the stage with his school mates, and finished a large chapter in his life. As a parent, it is another departure from your child being dependent on you for encouragement to finish assignments, or support when they feel downtrend or don’t fee in control of their lives. It is the beginning of offering guidance into adult hood, and the beginning of a new kind of restraint. In reality, all you can do is offer guidance and help them see the other side of situations they may feel aren’t two sided. Even if you hate to see them choosing a path you know to be a path of unnecessary difficulties, it is sometimes best to offer your support, and reassurances that you are there if they need you.
Here are a pile of high ISO images taken at his graduation. They were not generous on the lighting, so there are more than a plethora of images that are usable in the least useful sense of the word.
Mixed in the proceedings were several speakers. The principle, a member of the armed forces, the class president and a couple other prominent students. The graduating class was ~208 students. Here are the pictures of the speakers. Indy would know more about their background story, but here they are for posterity.
During the ceremony, Indy was part of the music as well. It was difficult to get an image of him that was clear and bright, but I did catch a few of him on the overhead screen, and a long distance one that you would only know it was him, if you “knew” it was him.
I’m glad they had a big screen for us to follow along with, but getting the images to turn out from the big screen were dismal. Maybe the refresh rate conflicted with my shutter speeds or magic was locked up in the picture pixie-dust, I don’t know but they’re not great, and barely good enough.
Onto the last half of Indy’s biggest day yet, they called up each person individually and we got to hoop, holler, and attempt to embarrass Indy as best we could while he wondered across the stage.
Finally, we zipped outside, found a spot of shade, our car, and waited for him to finish up with his other side of the family, and shaking hands with some randoms. His main squeeze was in tow and sat next to Charlotte during the proceedings. I threw my camera at her and she shot a few family pictures for us. Here are a few pictures with my side of the family and random goofing off while we waited for the parking lot to thin out.
When we finished up at the graduation location, we headed off to Bingo Burger to stuff our faces, and jabber about our visit. I didn’t take any images there, but it was a nice chill eating experience.
Here are a couple pictures that show what it looks like when you bump the shutter button when you’re sneezing, or moving your camera.
There are many more pictures by many more people. I hope you can find them, and it was so much fun to get out there and hug on my kids in the town they live.