Graduation
Cassie was my best friend all my growing up years. She is my cousin, we are nine months apart. She grew up in West Valley and went to the corresponding high school. Her end of the valley is a lot more diverse than my south side is. I had the cowboys, she had people from every nation under the sun. I remember when she graduated from high school and some of the boys that she was graduating with came out all tan and greased up and did some of that hula dancing. They yelled their intimidating chants and swung things over their head. I was totally hot for greased up high school seniors with some cultural background, I was only a grade older and actually very close in age to them.
Yesterday, Cassie’s brother Joe graduated from the same high school. I have never seen anything like this. Maybe Cassie’s was the same way, I cannot remember. When a girl came out and did a hula dance, her family (I hope it was her family) went nuts. They were in the back of the E Center yelling and screaming and hopping up and down and drumming on garbage cans, the entire time. I was so busy watching the side show I missed the actual performance.
Joe had classmates with so many lei’s on that you could only see the top half of their heads. And they had a cheering section. Some of the cheering sections had matching t-shirts, like they were rooting for the home team. The students names would be read and they would dance down the aisle to their seat encouraging the melee in their behalf.
I am all about supporting those we love, but this bordered on insanity.
Congratulations Joe!
June 3rd, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Did you read about the students back East who did not receive their diplomas solely because their families cheered too loudly at graduation? It sounds like a good thing that policy was not in effect in West Valley.
June 3rd, 2007 at 9:42 pm
I did hear about that and I thought, “How silly. What bunch of uptight jerks.” I can see why they did it now. Who knew graduation could be such a zoo?