Last night I attended Mars, Pennsylvania’s 104th Annual High School Commencement. The speeches by the students were particularly good. A surprise? I suppose. I hadn’t been to a high school graduation in years. When I graduated, I probably was too busy thinking about the sleepover later that night at a friend’s lake house, or what I was going to do that summer, or how my Dad was (he’d recently had a biopsy performed on his chest; it was benign : ). So I have no idea what my friends said when they spoke years ago. (Sorry Mary and Marti!)

But last night I remember.

Adam Golden gave a playful talk making 13-oral twitter feeds of advice for his fellow graduates. He mentioned that there were 40,000 high school graduation ceremonies taking place around the country. “Is that true?” I wondered. So I googled it and found that it’s right, more or less. According to this ed.gov site, the exact number is 37,100. But I imagine there are other schools around the country that are essentially off-the-grid. Okay, 40,000 secondary schools; I’ll take that Adam Golden.

Think about it. 40,000 schools with students donning cap and gown (or at least holding some type of a ceremony). 40,000 schools setting up chairs, microphones, and diplomas. Across the country, families are gathering (or not : ( to honor their special child. I googled further and found that the high school graduation rate is the highest it’s been in 3-decades.

So what does it mean? What does it matter that 40,000 schools are holding graduation ceremonies?

Completing high school is an important rite of passage in our culture. So much so, that if someone doesn’t graduate, they’re considered a deviant. A flunky. A failure before they’ve even started.

Last month during the Walk for ASL, we had the honor of attending a Shabbat service at Congregation B’nai B’rith. Part of the Friday night service focused on their congregation’s high school graduates. Wow. Those kids were amazing (based on the answers they gave to questions posed by the Rabbi and their general zest for life). I left the service feeling honored to have been given a glimpse of our future.

The same thing happened last night.

I left the Mars High School auditorium buzzing with the graduates’ excitement. Excitement for the future. Excitement for the unknown. Excitement to start their life.

The face in the crowd? My niece, Katie. She’s heading to Auburn this Fall and will be continuing her studies, her journey, her life. Godspeed Katie!

And in September, my husband and I will visit our foster son in Cambodia who is also graduating from high school.

A face in the crowd.

Someone you know. Or not. But regardless, Someone.

A Someone with a dream. A Someone who deserves a chance. A smile. A hug. You name it.

Whatever it is, you have it to share. We all do.

-Sj out : )