This isn't a violent school. They weren't searching for weapons. They weren't even searching for drugs or alcohol. They were looking for beach balls and silly string. Needless to say, I was happy to see this during the ceremony.
Apparently, students had taped deflated inflatables, such as this orifice-equipped sheep (which I thought looked bovine), to the undersides of their chairs.
Clever.
Now, I understand a certain level of decorum should be present at these commencements, but to stifle the graduates' fun as much as they did takes the day away from them.
As the first smuggled beach balls started bouncing around, the veins in the administrators' heads protruded. When one got away from the crowd, they would angrily chase and stomp them down. I only wish I would've been more on top of my game to capture one of those moments.
As this past weekend loomed, I kept my expectations low. It didn't help that I had to photograph these two students who wouldn't be graduating earlier in the week.
The two had recently come to the U.S. from Sudan and India, where neither spoke English as their first or second language. After barely failing to pass the standardized WASL examinations, they were denied a chance to graduate with their classmates. You can read the full story here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/901/story/202556.html
So with low expectations in hand, I set out to cover this milestone for a couple hundred local students. As it has been with several assignments with low expectations, however, I was pleasantly surprised with my three: Othello, Connell and Kiona-Benton High Schools. Here are a few of my favorites, and you can see more at our graduation galleries: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/gradgalleries/
