A Community School Graduation
The Community School’s graduation ceremony is wonderful and is made especially sweet by the fact that every single graduating senior speaks at the event. It’s a tradition that is really special, so that even when you don’t know all of the students (as I did when I was teaching there), hearing the students speak really draws you in to what their experience was like at the school. I’ve been photographing the event for probably 15 years now, and hearing their stories never gets old! One of the best parts of this year’s graduation was getting to see everyone sitting together again! It’s been a crazy two years, and it’s nice to get to have some sense of normalcy again, especially in our kids’ lives.
Olympic snowboarder Chase Josey (who graduated from the Community School in 2013) gave the commencement address, and it was so great for the students to see and hear from someone to whom they could truly relate!
This year’s ceremony while beautiful was also bittersweet — a couple of days before graduation, one of the student’s Dad’s passed away in a kayaking accident. James Grossman was super involved in the school and a hugely influential person to both this graduating class and the greater Community School (and Sun Valley) community. It was heartbreaking, but also wonderful to see the special way his legacy and memory were honored at the event.
I’m always so impressed with these wonderful students. I can’t wait to see where their futures will take them and how they will shape our local community and the world!
