For once, Thank God It’s Friday was not on the tip of my tongue. I had a triple header this Friday; we’re talking about a Graduation Marathon. (See pictures at end of Green section).

Graduation I

My Kindergarten Graduation is usually scheduled for 10:00 AM on the Friday before Father’s Day. This year, we had to move it back by half an hour, because the 8^th grade graduation was moved to 2:00 PM and it was a half day as well. When it was first announced, I didn’t mind, what’s half an hour? Well, when I finally set all my plans into stone, that half hour was deemed more precious than ever! For the first time in all the years I’ve been teaching, I was still folding papers. I’m just so glad I had my 7^th graders with me to help with the envelope stuffing and they were able to do all the little graduation details without my direct supervision.

Technical difficulties! I had a video presentation for the audience at 9:15 AM and the d*mn laptop rebooted itself. I lost 5 minutes with that. That video presentation was an all nighter to create, nearly 13 hours to edit cut and sync the soundtrack and clips. It was worth it! Somewhere Over the Rainbow from 50 First Dates, the ukulele version, not Kermit. Green Day’s Time of Your Life. Vitamin C’s Graduation Song. Then the Kindergarten came down and marches in to Pomp and Circumstance.

This is my 8^th graduation to host, and imagine my shock to see my hand shaking as I tried to read my script. I know it by heart, so at some point, I didn’t even read it anymore. It dawned on me later my hand wasn’t shaking because of stage fright; I had downed a very large vat of coffee right after finishing the envelopes. Four parents had just come in and saw me do that. “Powering up?” “Yes, I am!”

The reception went great. Turkey rolls and cake were a hit. I decided to do assigned seating, and since I already had my class divided into small groups for reading and such, the groups sat at their group colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I had just bought the table cloths the night before at Party City at 50% off. Never say last minute shopping is a bad idea!

Graduation II

I treated my 7^th grade to lunch, they deserved it! I also told them, they had better invite me to their graduation next year! My assistant and I hung around in our classroom, later joined by the Pre-K teachers as we waited for 2:00 PM. I was busy writing congratulation cards and wrapping gifts for some of the 8^th graders. Why? These kids were my first Kindergarteners!

Of course, I had to attend their graduation. It was being held in the Church. The ceremony was redesigned so that the baccalaureate Mass was held the day before, and then the ceremony itself would be on Friday. A lot better, since it could go on for over two hours.

The 8^th grade teacher used the same Pomp and Circumstance that I had used, it was the right tempo or speed, and my son had cut it in the right place so it would begin solemnly. As teachers we marched in behind the class. It was wonderful to see these young men and women. I remember when they were just five years old, and now walking behind them, they were so big and tall!

They recognized their teachers through the years. When it came to the part about me, the reader said, “Mrs. Pelayo was there to teach us our ABC’s and our 123’s.” Sam, that’s exactly where my tears began to flow. I didn’t think I was going to cry at all at any graduation, but there I was dabbing my eyes!

The students had so many awards, not just from the school, but from the city and I believe the state. I know there were scholarships and grants, too, as they would move on to their respective high schools. The ceremony ended, and the community spilled out into the street. Goodbye and good luck!

Graduation III

I decided to take the train home after the St. Ann School 8^th Grade graduation. There was a Yankees game scheduled for the afternoon, it was a Friday, and I didn’t want anything to mess up my youngest child’s graduation.

Well, drat! As I got down at 125^th Street station to make my transfer to the 4 train home, it just didn’t come. Train delays up to the wazoo. In fact, it was the first time I ever seen a train hauling garbage wagons up the tunnel. When the 4 train finally came, we were talking about sardines here, and the Yankees game hadn’t even started, no fans yet. Then we got stuck at 149^th Street station. A passenger was sick. What in the world was that about? It was just the train from h*ll. At least we were in a station and not along the track.

I dislike praying to God to ask for things. What comes, comes, but that day my prayers were more like, please just make things work out… Still, nobody got off at Yankee Stadium, or the next stop, or the next. My feet were killing me, mind you, I was dressed in a semi formal dress and heels, and I was standing. At that point I didn’t care if I was late for my son’s graduation, just let me have a seat!

Well, I suppose my prayers were answered. At Burnside Avenue station, the train went express to the end. All the other passengers around can cuss the MTA out, I was just so happy to sit, and make in time for my youngest son’s graduation.

This was the first time I had ever walked into St. Paul the Apostle Church. It was not as big as St. Ann Church, but larger than St. Denis Church. Very solemn, it was the mass and graduation put together, and it did last over two hours. We had a good laugh after. The video presentation got stuck right on my son’s picture, for quite awhile. I can’t say how many minutes, but considering relative time, it seemed long enough to be oh no time. The ceremony portion was nearly the same as the one I had just attended at St. Ann’s: speeches, diplomas, awards, thanks, then out into the street for pictures.

Nope, Sam, I did not cry at this graduation. LOL, I actually felt relief! Give thanks; elementary school was finally over for my youngest! Too many schools, too many changes, the finality of this graduation was refreshing! He may be starting in a new school next year, but everybody will be, he isn’t going to be the new kid anymore. Plus he has the added bonus of being in a core group of friends from REACH going into Xavier HS with him. We worry about our kids; my worry was the instability of his past three years. So hoo-hah! The end has come, the beginning is here!

See some pictures <-- click here

Broadway Diner

Of course my youngest son says, “Let’s go to Pizza and Brew!” I asked what he was going to order. “Fusilli Ala Lulu!” Are you kidding? You just ate that last week. Pick another place to eat. We settled on the diner near us.

Broadway Diner is usually the choice of my eldest son when it comes to going out to eat after a celebration. I like their Seafood Fra Diavalo. It’s a pasta dish with squid, clams, mussels, some other seafood covered in a spicy tomato sauce. Nick ordered linguine with white clam sauce, but really you almost couldn’t see the sauce or the pasta, there was a lot of clams on top. Their Tita ordered a fish dish. My eldest ordered a combo appetizer platter with chicken wings, fries, mozzarella sticks, etc. My youngest went for a steak dinner.

It was a good dinner and a good ending for the day. One more graduation to go…