Brad & Katrina's High School Graduation Ceremony

After having to go to the USF stadium in the afternoon for the graduation ceremony rehearsal because the school said that any student whom did not attend the rehearsal would not be able to attend the graduation ceremony, the kids finally walked the stage tonight and received their High School diplomas.

Well, this is the last time we will see our little girl as a high school student. When she emerges, she will be a high school graduate!

Meanwhile, we went inside to find a place to sit. Soon, things aren't going to be so peaceful around here...

The high school band started playing and unfortunately, Luann's parents didn't have a kind word for all their efforts...

And here's a shot of the 'Press Corps' back stage. Actually, these are the photographers that will be charging us an arm and a leg for the pictures they will be taking.

Everybody is settling down with a few conversations going on as to how the kids will be positioned on the floor.

Here's a copy of the program. After all of these years, it's so hard to realize that this is it, Katrina's last dealings with her high school.

Both Brad and Katrina were listed in the Honors Graduates section, and Katrina was awarded membership in the National technical Honor Society (just like her ole man).

Luann remembered the flowers for afterwards.

Ah, the junior ROTC color guard paces the floor to show that the event is about to begin.

And here they come. First Bradley makes his appearance...

Then Katrina was next.

Meanwhile, Brad's mom was taking a bunch of pictures too.

Ah there they are... A little nervous, are we?

Time to stand for the pledge of allegiance. You can see that Katrina's Godfather, Mark is here, and so is Brad's brother and sister-in-law. In front of them is Melissa and her mother, Tammy.

It's very special to see that both Brad and Kat are wearing white robes. Something which is only bestowed upon the Honors Grads...

And now, it's time to pick up their diplomas. Of course, Brad was first. He always had this stern look on his face.

And apparently, Mr. Young, one of several Assistant Principals at the school, had something to say about Kat's attire...

And now they're back in their row, and Katrina discovered that there isn't anything inside her diploma cover.

Time for the turning of the tassel.

She's officially gradu-mutated. Oh Yeah!

A pose after the ceremony was over.

Then a more natural pose. Hey, what's that say on top of Brad's hat?

Ah, a tribute to our favorite instructor, Mr. John Grillo, who passed away just days before their graduation. Much better than the terse bit of verbage uttered by one of the valedictorians during her 'school faculty approved' speech. The gist of her speech was the enumeration of all of the school faculty members that had died on her way to obtaining her diploma. Yeah, a real nice tribute that was, thanks for nothing...

It seems that the kids were instructed to only wear formal clothes and were not allowed to have anything on their hats. It's nice to see that Brad decided to make an effort to properly remember G-Man on such a momentous day anyway. To me, it seemed like the school pretty much swept Grillo under the carpet. Shame on them...

Yeah, don't tell our kids to 'go formal' on their special day! I think we know why Katrina was looking a little strange at AP Young when she took the stage to get her diploma...

And here it is. After 12+ years of hard work, the first rung of the educational ladder of life has been reached. On to the next rung!