Graduation and Prom

Last night marked the official reference point to pull me out of the slumps when I feel like what I do is insignificant. 14 graduates accepted their diplomas or certificates of completion. 14 graduates gave moving speeches about their accomplishments, their goals and their biggest supporters, forcing audience members to proudly watch on through distorted, fishbowl images because of welling tears. 9 out of those 14 graduates were in my room, asking for help to put into words what their hearts wanted to say, polish what they'd already written, and gain confidence to speak in front of hundreds of people. I felt useful and honored, that out of the many options they had, they came to me for help to write one of the biggest speeches that most of them would ever write.
I knew I made a difference, when walking out to begin the ceremony, I caught eyes of a few of them and their close-mouthed grins turned into full-on smiles; eyebrows raised to say, "We're actually doing it!" Following the the ceremony in the receiving line, the first words out of many of their mouths were, "How did I do?" I had one proud mother say, "She did it! She talked!" I didn't need a shout out to know I impacted their day, it was just really nice they reaffirmed it by making sure I was impressed.

Prom celebrations followed graduation. It was so cool because the senior class fundraised for the dresses the girls wore, the kuspuks the boys wore, the band, and the decorations. I remember girls not attending my prom because they couldn't afford it. How cool is it that they removed one huge factor that would have otherwise prevented many from participating? The computer lab was used to get ready. Three or four of us were curling and straightening hair, taking pictures and enjoying the primping process. The girls looked like princesses, and the boys, their Alaskan princes, sported the traditional kuspuk. I was floored to learn that even the youngest of dancers at prom knew how to dance. A full band flown in from Anchorage, echoing classics from Patsy Cline, Johny Cash, and other country legends, was the base for the entire dance-floor's 2-step. How refreshing it was to see dance-steps versus the bump-n-grind crap I'm used to seeing on the floor!
These last weeks really gave me a great opportunity to get to know the sudents on another level. I was so impressed by how resilient our students really are and how supportive the community is after learning about some of the struggles they've endured and those who have opened their homes and hearts to support them through them. I'm a little disappointed it took so long to make such a connection with some of these seniors, as I thoroughly enjoyed the recent times we've spent interacting. I'm thankful and truly enjoyed celebrating graduation and prom with the community.