Kendra’s High School Graduation

We arrived at Tolly-Ho at 5:00 pm and had a nice dinner. Those in attendance included:

• Kendra
• Me (the mom)
• William Joseph, aka BJ (the dad)
• Grandma from Winchester
• Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob from Ohio
• Kevin, Tracie, and the girls (mom and dad’s friends from college that live in Lexington)
• Tom, Jen, and the kids (college friends from DeleWHERE?)

We sat around chatting and eating great Tolly-Ho food. Kendra had to leave a little early to walk down to Rupp Arena to get lined up with the other 400+ seniors. She carried her gown and we secured her cap before she left. She was wearing sensible sandals. Sabrina (the photgrapher) arrived as we were leaving to walk to the graduation.

There were a few people that didn’t want to walk downtown but weren’t familiar with the area, so I drove that group downtown. We parked in the Central Bank parking lot (there was no attendant!) and walked to Rupp Arena.

The car-riders and I were the first to arrive. While they waited inside in the cool air-conditioning, I waited outside so we could keep our group together. Via mobile phone I was able to meet up with some other people. Those in attendance at the graduation ceremony included:

• Kendra (on the floor!)
• Stephenie – me!
• BJ – dad
• Grandma from Winchester
• Grandma from EKY
• Mike, Kristie, Luke and Kayla – mom’s step-brother and his family
• Kevin, Tracie, and the girls
• Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob
• Harold, Katherine, and Missi – not with our group, but we spotted them across the arena
• Chigo – not with the group but he was there!
• Aaron and Andrew – not with the group, but they were there
• Sabrina – the photographer running around. She got some good shots!

Our group met up by the High Street doors and went inside together. We wondered in and out of sections looking for a spot to get a good view and not climb too many stairs. We ended up in the top corner of section 11. Throughout the ceremony we fervently searched for Kendra and didn’t spot her until Sabrina texted me her location. We looked through the Commencement Program and found Kendra was in several sections:

• Commonwealth Diploma Recipients – This program promotes academic excellence and gives senior students the opportunity to be recognized for their exceptional academic efforts.
• Beta Club Seniors – Kendra was an officer in the Beta Club. Beta is an academic honors program with a strong emphasis on community service.
• National Honor Society – NHS honors those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character and membership is by invitation only.
• Graduating with High Distinction – 4.0 GPA (weighted) and above
• Senior Class Listing with SCAPA and Pre-Engineering – those in the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) and those in the Pre-Engineering program were honored. Kendra was in both.

After the graduation, everyone met back at Tolly-Ho for drinks and pictures. Those in attendance included:

• Kendra
• Stephenie – me!
• BJ – dad
• Grandma from Winchester
• Grandma from EKY
• Mike, Kristie, Luke and Kayla – mom’s step-brother and his family
• Kevin, Tracie, and the girls
• Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob
• Harold, Katherine, and Missi – mom’s friend from high school
• Chigo – mom’s friend from Lexmark
• Aaron and Andrew – Tolly-Ho friends
• Sabrina – the photographer running around. She got some great shots!
• Tom, Jen, and the kids
• Nathan, Joyce and Kate – Tolly-Ho employees and friends
• Tom, Melissa, and the kids – mom’s cousin

We had milkshakes chatted with friends and family and posed for photos.

Saturday morning we went to Tolly-Ho for the party. Those in attendance included:

• Kendra
• Stephenie – me!
• BJ – dad
• Grandma from Winchester
• Grandma from EKY
• Mike, Kristie, Luke and Kayla – mom’s step-brother and his family
• Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob
• Harold, Katherine, and Missi – mom’s friend from high school
• Daryl and Scott – mom’s friends from Lexmark
• Matt, Dawn, and Max- Tolly-Ho friends
• Sabrina – the photographer running around. She got some great shots!
• Tom, Jen, and the kids
• Sandy – Tolly-Ho employee and friend
• Tom, Melissa, and the kids – mom’s cousin

We got to Tolly-Ho around 9:30 to set up the check-in table, gift table, dessert table and the room. We put up balloons with glow sticks inside. There were mints and pencils on every table. There was a basket of Cootie Catchers/ Fortune Tellers for everyone to take. There were piles of good food covered and waiting for the chocolate fountain. Kendra and I ate some quick breakfast so we could mingle with the guests.

At 10:00 people began arriving. Kendra greeted them, had them sign in, and gave them all glow necklaces for a game. If you overheard or induced someone to say the word “School”, you could take their necklace. The person with the most necklaces later in the day would win a prize.

People ate their yummy Tolly-Ho breakfasts and lunches and chatted. around 10:45 we brought out the chocolate for the fountain. Matt, the daytime manager at Tolly-Ho, sent out some bacon for the fountain. Inspired! I highly recommend chocolate covered bacon!

We played some more games that included a Kendra quiz and having Kendra leave the room so everyone could try to remember what she was wearing. Everything had a meaning:

• Ice Cream Cone earrings – Kendra’s favorite food
• Tolly-Ho t-shirt – Kendra has worked at Tolly-Ho since she was 5 years old cleaning out the coolers.
• SCAPA medal – she was awarded the metal for being a member of SCAPA – Creative Writing
• Honor Society medal
• Mickey Mouse tattoo – Kendra’s favorite vacation was to Disney World and on a Disney cruise
• Silver bracelet on her right arm – a gift from her loving brother and sister
• Leather bracelet on her left arm – Disney bracelet with her name from the Bahamas
• Cell Phone in her pocket – she never leaves home without it
• Yellow Chucks with rainbow laces – she’s just crazy that way
• Metal braided headband – she likes gold and silver jewelry

Kayla won that game. She’s very observant!

Kendra had instructed everyone to take a Cootie Catcher and fill out the Grad-Lib inside. The Grad-Lib was like a Mad Lib with advice for the graduate. Kendra read them out loud and gave prizes to her favorite, the funniest, and the best vocabulary.

Kendra opened her gifts and read her cards. She laughed, she cried. Her grandmother brought a painting she had done especially for Kendra.

As the party wound down, we played some card games and sat around visiting. When it was time to clean up, the kids were great at popping the balloons!

It was a wonderful party and thanks to everyone that attended!