Is there ever a time with more smiles than graduations? If so, then 2025 set an all-time record.
Reason is this was the largest high school graduating class in American history! From now on into the foreseeable future, the numbers of students in school classes plummet.
And if our family was any indication, yes this was a record!
We had three grandchildren graduating from high schools in three different time zones. This might be worth some comments on my observations of such proceedings.
First, Nancy and I are so proud of Finis Johnson of Lander, Emery Hollins of Allen, Texas, and Cyrus Gibbons of Warden, Wash. These are wonderful young people.
I admit to being concerned about this upcoming generation and yet when we spend time with any of our 13 grandchildren, we realize just how special they are.
Some Observations
It seems like every time I comment in this space about how “brown” our national American skin color is turning, someone out there wants to call me a racist. No way.
As a journalist, my life has been as a professional observer and it is my intention to share those observations with our readers.
Perhaps the most traditional of all three graduations occurred in Wyoming. The most “white” of these three graduations was in Lander where Finis marched across the stage with a huge smile on his face and a big bounce in his step. Very proud of this young man.
Did I tell you he is a champion body builder? He was named after famed Wind River Mountaineer Finis Mitchell.
And yet, Lander Valley High School has more Native American students in its student body than any other school in the state. The event even started off with a ceremonial Shoshone Indian song accompanied by a traditional drum playing.
So, our Lander graduation potentially had more non-white graduates than any other high school in Wyoming. There were 133 seniors.
The next graduations were even more colorful.
Way Down In Texas
We watched the graduation of the Plano High School on streaming and again, it was amazing to see the diversity of students.
Folks of all creeds and colors graduated from this affluent suburban school. There were 1,300 graduates.
The streaming that we saw even had Chinese characters on the screen for its closed captioning. Is America great or what?
We have spent some quality time in north Dallas, which is full of big houses and amazing subdivisions. The place is full of Tesla and Lexus cars. Folks are doing very well there. The area can be called upscale.
Our Emery has always excelled and we were proud to see her march across the stage and get her diploma. They used a split screen system so they could do two at once – still it took over two hours. I noticed that the top ten seniors at the neighboring Allen High School were Asian.
Meanwhile, as an old-timer spending some time in Allen, it was time to visit the senior center there. There, more than a third of folks in attendance, were of Asian descent.
Out In Washington State
The smallest graduation class was 65 seniors at little Warden in central Washington. This is big-time potato country. Everything there was bi-lingual. It appears that more than two-thirds of the students were Hispanic and their customs and clothing showed it.
Both student speakers gave their talks in English and then repeated them in Spanish. Amazing.
This area has had folks of Mexican descent living there for three generations. These folks dominate all aspects of business and community in Grant County.
Our grandson Cyrus had done well and was graduating from high school and a week later graduating with an Associated Arts degree from the local community college. What an achievement.
Other Graduations
This was a big year for graduations in our family.
Another Texas granddaughter Daylia Hollins Benavides graduated from Physician Assistant School in Fort Worth.
They held a combined graduation for PAs like her along with other grads in a myriad of medical professions. It was a long event and again, it was astonishing to see the variety of ethnicities and backgrounds
It would be safe to say that less than half of the grads were what could be considered traditional white Americans.
Here in Wyoming, we are one of the “whitest” states in America and it probably is easy to assume that all places are like Wyoming. Absolutely not true.
Our country is changing and has become a true melting pot.
The other graduation that I attended was for 50 seniors at Wyoming Catholic College in Lander. This was the school’s 18th class and was its biggest.
WCC has become a national college with students from 36 states attending.
Most of these graduates were white, all were Catholic, and most came from large families. Remember this is the school that bans cells phones. It is fun to be around the students. They are vibrant and always chatting with each other. Nary a phone in sight.
Yet a major talk by a senior was in Latin. And a group of students recited a poem in Olde English. I could not understand a word of either one.
Wow, What A Country!
Five graduations in three different states – we heard some inspirational talks and listened to some wonderful music (who doesn’t love Pomp and Circumstance?).
Based on what we experienced, I want to believe the future of the country is strong and certainly becoming more colorful.
