I saved my last personal day to attend today’s 8th grade graduation, which was held at Back of the Yards College Prep High School, and I’m so glad I did. It was wonderful to see this group, whose elementary years were altered in more ways than we could have imagined by the pandemic, finally take off the masks, collectively exhale, and celebrate themselves. Many of them, I think, have been holding onto lots of emotion during these years. But when the ceremony concluded with the graduates taking a rose to someone in the crowd who had been there for them, stood by them, loved them through it all, the tears flowed.
Bit late but thank you for showing up to our graduation :)