Honoring Our Graduates
(Originally published May 21, 2020)
High school graduation for many is a major accomplishment, not only for the graduate but for family and friends as well. That special day along with prom, grad night, and all the other senior activities are what students look forward since their freshman year. Although many may not, due to the circumstances, be able to experience these activities in the conventional way, it is still important for the graduate to be honored for this important step in their lives. These times challenge us to be creative in order to be able to be safe. Nevertheless, it is important that we allow the graduate to complete this Circle of this phase of their life. This is also a major lesson for all of us, including for the new graduate, that life will present these challenges to us regardless of how educated we are and how much we have achieved.
Our choice becomes how we see the lesson and what we do with it. Based on that, I would like to suggest we draw from the values of our cultures and offer an Honoring Circle for the graduate. How you do this is up to you and should include your own cultural and traditional ways. It can be simple or as creative as you choose. This can include just those living in your household who you are sheltering in place with or virtually with others who are important in the graduate’s life. In order to provide a framework, we offer the following as a suggested format:
To see the full announcement, please click on this link: