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OPINION
Superintendent
is proud of graduates
SUPT's
ON
Mark
Cleveland
Owen County Schools Superintendent
This past weekend I had the wonderful
opportunity to watch my youngest walk across the stage at Alumni
Coliseum on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University to receive
her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts diploma. Any doting father would
have been proud; as I am sure there were many parents who experienced
the same level of pride as many colleges and universities were
holding graduation ceremonies this weekend.
I will miss many graduates’ names and for that my sincere
apologies, but I know the parents of Neesa Howard and the parents
of Wilson Reinke swelled with pride when their children walked
across a similar stage at WKU on Saturday.
And think of all the emotion that was experienced by Joe Sparrow’s
family, friends and classmates when he received his degree from
Virginia Tech last Friday. Of all the colleges across the nation,
that one had to be the most emotional.
As I listened to the names of the graduates announced at EKU,
I read through the program to see Owen County High School graduates
Craig Cable getting a degree in Philosophy and Bobbie Griffith
in English. As a parent I could relate to success of all the graduates,
especially my daughter.
As a school superintendent I took a great amount of satisfaction
thinking that a few short years ago Craig and Bobbie both were
walking across the stage of Owen County High School and here they
were getting ready to forge a life of their own, accomplishing
a goal that they should take extreme pride.
Yes, it was a wonderful day last Saturday, a beaming father watching
his accomplished daughter achieve a milestone. However, I must
tell you, Owen County would have been so proud if you had the
chance to listen to Kara Patterson as she was selected to speak
on behalf of all graduates at EKU.
Right there in front of over 700 graduates, a jam-packed Alumni
Arena full of parents, professors and dignitaries, introduced
by Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. James F. Conneely who
introduced Kara as a graduate of Owen County High School and Owenton;
up stood a demure, petite, well-composed Kara Patterson who addressed
the entire convocation and spoke of what EKU had meant to her.
I know her parents had to be overwhelmingly proud.
As she spoke of what education meant to her at Owen County High
School and how she had grown and the experiences she had while
attending EKU, and what her plans were for the future, she was
a glowing ambassador for her high school and her county.
So, not only did an over-weight, gray-haired ol’ superintendent
get to watch with pride as his daughter achieved a major goal
in her life, but the double pleasure of hearing Kara reminisce
and challenge her fellow classmates as they move on with life’s
journey made the day exceptional. To all of this year’s
graduates, named and unnamed, congratulations, we are very proud
of you. To Stephanie and Kara, you have absolutely no idea how
bigheaded I was when I walked out of that graduation ceremony.
You have done an old school teacher proud.
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