Graduation

I know what everyone is thinking, "WOW, that's a small class." We had a little over 150 in my class. I am from a rural town in Northwestern New Jersey, so that in itself explains why my high school was so tiny. I graduated in the top 16 percent of my class. Ironically, our valedictorian and salutatorian were both from the same sending district as me. They were my childhood friends too.

Our one veteran teacher was our speaker for the evening. He was retiring, and he has been at my high school teaching for about 35 years! We all loved him so much. He treated us like adults, and when we deserved to be treated like kids, he treated us like kids. Rightfully so... His speech was something I will always remember. It was the highlight of graduation. After he spoke, he had everyone that had had him as a teacher stand, crowd, and present students alike, and half of the crowd stood, along with 95% of the graduating class. it was amazing! That's what happens after 35 years of service.