Graduation 2011

This has been a fun day! The faculty were invited to gather from 8:30-9:30 for a VIP breakfast and reception before the ceremony, which started at 10:00. Breakfast was mostly an informal time, but a few formal remarks were spoken to congratulate one engineering faculty, Todd Wales, who is retiring and also the president of our college, who is retiring after 33 years in our district.

Quickly it was time to line-up, get into formation to begin the academic procession toward the athletic field and then to divide the two lines so graduates could parade through our applause, cheers, and hugs and on toward the rows of white chairs and then the flag salute, the singing of the national anthem, a poetry reading, a welcome from one of the deans, congratulatory remarks from the district chancellor, and then the faculty speaker and the student speaker, and one rousing musical interlude by the college choir.

This year Karin Skiba, our professor of art, had been selected by the faculty to speak. She is a special friend and I was so excited that she would be speaking. I knew the minute she stepped to the podium that we were going to have fun as she positioned her camera and took a photo of all of the audience. She said she was going to post it on FaceBook. She had spoken to me during the breakfast gathering about my daily blogging. I told her about Blipfoto.

Then near the end of Karin's speech she asked everyone to take out their cell phones and while kidding us that we had all probably been texting during the proceedings she wanted us all to stand, move around, and take a photo. She wanted us to have a FaceBook moment. Well, she didn't have to ask twice. Faculty and students got right to the job with photos being taken by everyone. I captured all the friends sitting next to me as they participated and as they viewed their photos. I loved the smiles on their faces.

The sky was covered with a lovely veil of gray overcast which kept the temp quite pleasant for this outdoor event. It took about 30 minutes to present the degrees and certificates to all graduates. Then we stood to sing our Alma Mater and then the recessional back to the parking lot.

Mr. Fun arrived just before the proceedings began and took lots of photos, so this is a compilation of his photography and mine, so there's even one of me included in this blip. I couldn't resist making a collage. So I apologize to those of you who hate them (but you probably haven't read this far!).

This has been a meaningful day -- my 20th commencement ceremony with the college.

Now I am more than anxious to begin summer, but that won't happen till mid-afternoon tomorrow because the English faculty will gather in the morning to do a "common" read of freshman compositions. Each comp course is supposed to be assessed on a regular basis, so that's what we're doing tomorrow.

If you hear a loud crashing sound in the afternoon, that will be me breaking through to summer! ;-)

Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol

P.S. Thank YOU for all the lovely comments the past few days.