Congrats To The Grad - Part Two

The second graduate in the past week was my cousin Jimmy. As a part of a special program in his high school, each student graduates on their own when they are deemed ready for the workforce. So Jim got to graduate all by himself. As a sign of how beloved he is, there were over 40 people crammed into the library to see him graduate, including former classmates and parents, coworkers from his job placement, teachers and family.
Here's Jim giving a speech that he wrote himself on the progress he had made during school - he was cool as a cucumber during the whole thing!

Jim posing with his proud parents, Barry and Judy.

We headed down to his classroom afterwards to enjoy cake and snacks with Jim's teachers and classmates. I was touched to see that the food table featured a plate of sliced peppers - Jim's favorite snack. He is not known for his sweet tooth and often chomps on peppers instead. Surprisingly enough, these were also popular with the crowd.

I also LOVED the handmade decorations like this banner - they really added a festive air to the room:

Finally, a shot of me and the happy graduate, proudly flashing the button that Amy and I surprised him with:

Words can't express how incredibly proud I am of Jim - his graduation ceremony really emphasized the fact that he has grown so much over the years and I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll be doing next in his life.