Pomp and Circumstance~

I sneaked a book in the sleeve of my robe and read through the whole three (more?) hours of the thing.

Our graduation ceremony sucked, but just the experience of it and hanging out afterwards with all my friends was fun. I think all of us were pretty emotional. Unlike a lot of people, I kinda adored my high school experience, and a good chunk of the people at my high school, I've known since Kindergarten. So it was a really long journey with all these people and knowing that we would all be separating was a very emotional experience. I'm pretty sure I cried at various times during graduation and the days surrounding graduation.

When we had our Seniors goodbye for my dance team, good lord, I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life. It was good tears though.

I actually went to 5 graduations at my highschool. Once for my brother (2002), once for my upperclassmen friends (2003), once for myself (2004), and then the following two years for my underclassmen friends (2005, 2006).

I picked up the diploma, then worked the entire summer, then went to the University.

for me, it was just we showed up at school at 11:30 am, we were told how things would go briefly by the principal, then we went to the gym where it was held to rehearse how things would go. After that we went to the cafeteria where they served us yummy lunch (all the good cafeteria food they serve during the school year!), and after lunch, we watched part of our senior video.

After the senior video part, we got into our caps and gowns, then left the auditorium. As we walked out, all the teachers from kindergarten to 12th grade were there, lining the hallway where we walked, clapping for us. That's the first time I cried.

Then after we walked to the outside of the gym where we got in line and walked in, I realized that this time, I wasn't playing pomp and circumstance with the band like I had done for the past 3 years. I cried then.

As I sat down and the whole gym burst into applause for us, I cried.

After that, I didn't cry much. I went and got my diploma, then saw my band teacher who was my teacher for 8 years...gave him a big hug, PROMISED to keep in touch as I travel to England...=]

All in all, it was a pretty decent day. The weather was perfect and everything.

I graduated last year, end of May, and it makes me sad because I miss all the stupid high school memories of doing retarded things with my friends.

But let's see, I graduated, we all went outside/in the lobby to hug eachother, cry and say about much we were going to miss eachother, etc etc, then Eric (Jowy) stole me away to Erie. But before we took that 2 and a half hour drive right after graduation we stopped and had a nice dinner so that I could feel pretty in my dress and fill our bellies, too. :p And then I fell asleep on the drive to Erie.

Our principal was two hours late for rehearsal thus causing everyone who drove there to get a parking ticket. I came home, took a nap, did some illicit substances for the first time with other graduates, and just sat in my spot dredging through the valedictorian and slutatorian's (it's an intentional typo) speeches. My name was called, so I headed on stage and pretended it tasted like ice cream during the handshakes with the incompetent administrative staff that neglected to notice the graduating classes names and class ranks didn't synch up, so my graduation rank got passed onto the remedial science and math student following "Dabrowski". I sat down and fell asleep in my chair during the other 22 letters of the alphabet, turned my tassle when they declared us graduated and promptly left the building. Then I went out to eat pancakes and one of my friends called me at 2 AM and put a shopping cart full of feminine hygiene products on my porch.

The end.

I was drunk for two weeks straight, including at the graduation ceremony. I apparently laughed out loud, woo'ed and stuff like that during all the speeches. I was very drunk, and man did I have a good time!

High school graduation wasn't that formal for me; only the teachers had to wear academic regalia. I got an award and a medal for some stuff, then there was chilling, mingling and some farewells before the parties started up.

My school didn't make a big fuss out of graduating. A few of us went clubbing after our exams finished but that's pretty much it.