For that occasion, Nicholas got dressed up in his best duds, and he could not contain his excitement despite not napping that day. Principally, he was excited because his Senior buddy named Alex would be graduating that day. As I have mentioned previously, every younger child at Arbor is matched up with an older student, and the kindergartners are paired up with an eighth grader, or Senior. Today was the last day for the Seniors to say goodbye to the school and for their little buddies like Nicholas to say goodbye to them.
To say that Graduation Day is the event of the school year would be an understatement because each Senior and his/her mentor has the opportunity to discuss his/her Senior Independent Project and to address the school for several minutes. The speeches are not pre-screened and often come straight from the heart. In many cases, the Seniors give a shout out to their buddies, which always elicits strong emotions.
Alex was one of the last students to present, and his was arguably the most emotional. His address in its entirety is shown here. Yes, Alex is only 13 or 14. Afterwards, even I had a few tears in my eyes after hearing what Arbor had meant to Alex and how Alex hoped Nicholas would have the same experience.
After the ceremony, we found Alex, and I gave him a big hug. I told him I was proud of him. I thanked him for what he had been for our son- a role model, a friend, and a compass in a new world for our son that was often unfamiliar, sometimes scary, but always loving. I told Alex that if I could ever be of help to him, I wanted him to let me know. He smiled and nodded and gave Nicholas one last hug.
As we boarded the bus that carried us back to the parking lot, I saw a man that bore a striking resemblance to Alex. I asked him if he was Alex's dad, and the man confirmed that he was. I told him he had a wonderful son, and he asked me how I, too, had come to discover Arbor for my own son. I said it was from word of mouth but that the words I had heard did not do justice to the school- perhaps the single best gift my children may ever receive...
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