AVID Graduation

Advancement via Individual Determination is a national program the Salem-Keizer School District offers in junior high and high school and that is required for all students attending Early College High School.  It was new to Emma when she entered high school, not having done the program in junior high.  It's extra work and certainly a lot of extra effort, but it's meant for college-prep and college-bound students.  So super beneficial for Emma on a bunch of levels.

The graduation walk with teachers

Anyway, we didn't know this, but there's an entirely separate and standalone AVID graduation ceremony although it was billed as a "senior celebration."  Had I known it was more of a graduation event, I probably would have worn something other than flip flops and my Def Leppard t-shirt!

The ceremony was very nice and was led by the school district president and board.  You could tell they were proud and obviously cared about their significant investment in teaching these students.

After the ceremony, and on a whim, we decided to drop in to The Cozy Taberna to see Dohnele and to tell her about the event even though she was working.  It was nice because everyone treated her like royalty including Bill, the owner of the restaurant who made a point to show us that Dohnele was also the Employee of the Month!  We got a bunch more pictures taken before heading home for the evening.