Tag Archives: Staples High School

They’ll Drink To That

Posted on October 28, 2010 | 14 comments

It’s no secret:  Westporters like to drink.

We boozed it up during Prohibition, when speakeasies flourished all around town.  (One of the most popular, in Saugatuck, was run by a blind man.)

We drank — heavily — in New Haven Railroad bar cars, coming home from Mad Men jobs in the 1950s and ’60s.

We drink today — in restaurants, on the beach, at our well-stocked basement bars — and so do our kids.

Staples yearbooks as far back as the 1940s feature drinking references.  In 1975 — when the legal age was 18 — there’s a photo of 7 guys in sports jerseys hoisting steins, surrounded by beer cans.

Teen drinking in Westport is no longer in the shadows.

So there was no lack of alcohol-related opinions Tuesday night, when the Westport Library sponsored a “Community Conversation on Underage Drinking.”

After brief remarks from Staples principal John Dodig — whose mantra has long been that the schools alone can’t deter teen drinking; the issue demands a town-wide response — that community work began.

The 100-plus participants came up with 12 topics.  Next, they formed small discussion groups — ranging in size from 3 to 20 — based on the subject that most interested them. 

At the end of the session, each group presented its most important points to everyone.  Here are the groups, and their main ideas:

Understanding the motives behind teen drinking

  • Teens drink because of peer pressure, “normality,” relaxation, stress relief, self-medication, Facebook, games, and thrills
  • High school students feel the need to drink because it offers an emotional connection, an unwritten rite of passage, and provides “liquid courage”
  • Solutions include stricter consequences, and open parent-child relationships

Parental enabling; choosing to be the parent and not a “friend”; parental involvement; parents who condone drinking and its implications

Ultimately, parents’ responsibility is to keep their kids safe.  They can do that by enforcing consequences (and “checking in” with teenagers when they get home); making expectations clear, and forming strong, early trust between parents and children.

External pressure/influence (media, peers, etc.)

  • Peer pressure is overrated
  • Parental influence can be positive or negative
  • There are mixed messages and hypocrisy, including adults not enforcing their own rules

The importance of a strong relationship between parents and kids

  • Building trust with parents is crucial
  • Dinners together — any time together, in fact — is also very important

Code of silence

There is a code of silence between parents, to “save their relationships with their kids.”  But parent-to-parent communication should include parents asking other parents if they allow drinking.

There is also a code of silence that comes from coaches, who ingrain a “we are family” dynamic beginning in elementary school.  Coaches also need to be part of a conversation, not only regarding loyalty but also moral behavior.

Strengthening teens’ self-esteem so they can say “no”

The top 3 ways:  parents provide healthy role models; parents show positive, trusting belief in their teenagers; parents support teenagers’ expecations and goals, rather than imposing their own.

Other ways:  giving a reason beyond just “no”; open communication; being able to call parents at any time; relaxed and trusting parents lead to better and healthier decisions by kids; physical affection, calmness and praise from parents; unconditional acceptance of teenagers; lack of comparison of one kid to another

Alternatives to drinking-based activities

  • Parks & Rec-sponsored day trips (skiing, concerts, Lake Compounce, hiking/rafting)
  • Explore why Newtown and Greenwich teen centers are reputed to work

Where are kids getting alcohol; methods of making it more difficult for teenagers to drink

Kids get alcohol in Bridgeport and Norwalk, with and without fake IDs.  They also get it from homes and parents (though “kids are drinking such large amounts of alcohol that it’s unlikely they are getting it all from parents”).

Making it more difficult to obtain would include having more immediate consequences, and more parental communication both with teenagers and other parents.

Education on drinking-related accidents beyond driving

Topics could include damage to reputation, and consequences due to intoxication; also consistent reinforcement of repercussions (“even with varsity athletes!”).

To what degree is the code of conduct for teams enforced?

  • Administration, faculty and coaches must be held responsible for enforcing the contract players and parents sign
  • Coach and parent denial implies tacit approval
  • Players have a general consensus that there will be no enforcement
  • Who will report the behavior?
  • What’s the point of a code of conduct if it’s not enforced?  And does this provide a “false sense of security”?

Preparing kids for life beyond high school

  • Teenagers need help developing a mature perspective before leaving high school
  • Parents need guidance for the transition too
  • There is a need to distinguish between “use” and “abuse”

That’s a ton of stuff to digest.  And it came from a relatively small group — parents who (it was noted) may be part of the “choir” to which the night was preaching; members of Staples’ Teen Awareness Group; a smattering of others. 

But — if this is to be a true “community conversation” — then more voices must join in. 

Click the “Comments” link — and please be respectful.

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Posted in Organizations, People, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Adios, Arena

Posted on October 14, 2010 | 47 comments

“Arena scheduling” came to Staples in the early 1970s.  It was an era when our high school was in the forefront of many things:  experimental English classes.  A real “Alternatives” program.  A sexuality course that left nothing to the imagination.

“Arena” — the opportunity for students to choose not only their classes, but their periods and teachers for the upcoming year — was a no-brainer.  It was a little bit of college on a high school campus.  It embodied choice, freedom, maturity.

Over the years it also became chaotic and controversial.  Students learned to game the system.  Parents involved themselves in the process.  Stress levels rose; tears were shed.

A scene from last June's Staples scheduling arena. Students tried to get courses and teachers they wanted; teachers had to say yes to some, no to others. (Photo by Lucy Sinclair/Inklings)

Eliminating arena has been discussed for years.  As computer scheduling became more efficient, pressure to end arena grew.  But arena always had its defenders.

On Tuesday night, the Board of Education heard arguments for retaining arena.

It provides students with the opportunity to take 2 or 3 more classes with teachers they like, or have connected especially well with.

It enables students to avoid taking another class with instructors whose teaching styles are not compatible with students’ particular learning styles.

It enables students to select their periods (for example, taking tougher classes when they’re more alert — though more realistically, they opt for free periods at the beginning or end of the day).

It helps teenagers prepare for the college course selection process.

But the arguments for replacing arena with computer scheduling were more compelling.

Students could have several weeks in the spring to meet with guidance counselors to tailor their schedules to their course needs.

The hectic “conflict resolution” period at the start of school would be eliminated, allowing counselors to really help students.

Most colleges these days utilize online computer course selection themselves.

And, of course, complaints and worries about the “unfairness” of a “bad” arena time would end.

The Board of Education voted 6-1 to end arena scheduling.

Tellingly, there was virtually no student or parent outcry in favor of keeping arena, either before or during the Board of Ed discussion.

The ’70s are officially dead.

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Posted in Education, People, Staples HS, technology

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A Rising Tide

Posted on September 25, 2010 | 43 comments

Unless you live in a cave — or a 20th century classroom — you know that one of the goals of Staples High School is to infuse critical thinking into everything students do.

Whether it’s analyzing environmental issues or connecting the health class curriculum with rising rates of obesity, principal John Dodig’s mission is to ensure that every graduate has the knowledge, confidence — and skills — to compete in the fast-changing, terrifying, challenging and exciting world they’ll soon inherit.

Actions, of course, speak louder than words.

Last week, Dodig spent 15 minutes of “Communication Time” to introduce a schoolwide goal.

Every student watched a sophisticated, inspiring TED.com video featuring Hans Rosling.  The Swedish professor described his own youth in the 1960s, when there was an enormous gap between “the West and the rest.”

Since then, the world population has increased by 4.6 billion.  Using simple boxes and props, Rosling showed the difference between then and now.

In 1960 the developed world wanted cars; the undeveloped world, clothes.

Today, China — the symbol of the newly developed world — has cars; the country owns Volvo, the ultimate Swedish symbol.  Most of the world population, Rosling said, is now found in the middle, between the poorest and the wealthiest people.

Projecting to 2050, Rosling said that 4 billion people can leave poverty — provided the world avoids climate change, and energy remains cheap.

How could this happen?  By raising the living standards of the world’s poorest people.

Rosling showed a fascinating graph.  In it, child survival rates lead to greater wealth; this creates smaller families, which in turn leads to slower population growth — and ultimately, sustainability.

What does all this have to do with Staples?

As Dodig explained in a televised address, over the next 50 to 60 years, today’s students will form the foundation of the world.  To build a firm foundation, they’ll need real-world skills.

The problems they’ll face may be ill-defined.  But tomorrow’s leaders will need to:

  • Know where to find information
  • Know how to synthesize and evaluate that information
  • Be able to collaborate across many disciplines.

“If all Staples students can master those skills,” Dodig said, “you will be successful.”

They’ll be able to handle the economic, environmental and other global challenges they face — and they’ll make the entire planet a better place.

Dodig then asked each classroom teacher to lead a discussion of the video.  Among the questions:

  • Why was the video shown?
  • How did the video relate to Staples students, and what you learn in school?
  • What part will you play in the future?

Dodig asked for feedback.  Teachers told him the video sparked insightful discussions; students said it made them think, and posed questions of their own.

Much has changed since 1960, as Rosling pointed out.  But a button from that decade remains true:  “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”

Staples High School has challenged its students to make sure, 50 years from now, that the saying is a long-forgotten relic of a dim, dusty past.

(Click here to view the Hans Rosling Ted.com video.  Click here to see the video that Staples students saw, including Dodig’s introduction and conclusion.)

43 Comments

Posted in Education, People, Staples HS

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Not Just Another High School Reunion Story

Posted on September 23, 2010 | 18 comments

High school reunions are like medical operations.   Everyone has them, but no one wants to hear about yours.

Still, a 50th reunion is special.  50 is the new, well, 50.  So when Staples’ Class of 1960 gathers this weekend, it’s worth noting.

And the story of how that class — raised at a time when transistor radios were considered amazing — used 21st century technology to find long-lost classmates, and get nearly half of them to come, is both instructive and inspiring.

For their previous gathering 10 years ago, they hired a professional planner.  But once he hit the 75 attendees he’d promised, he stopped working.

This time the graduates vowed to do it themselves — and better, and for less money.

From right: Bev Cens, Joann Hornsleth and an unidentified girl pose at Bev's house. The shot was taken by someone doing advertising for Bigelow Tea. Note the Staples book covers at bottom.

They gave themselves a year’s lead time.  They learned that even though online “white pages” might give hundreds of results, filtering by age made searching much easier.

They called relentlessly.  A Westport family named Shornick was not related to James from 1960.  But the local Shornicks remembered that someone — okay, me — once asked if they knew my former classmate Cathy.  They told organizer Linda Gramatky Smith that story; she found Cathy Shornick in Washington state, and Cathy led Linda to her brother James.

Few people have heard of the search engine Pipl.com.  But Alan Konigsberg uses it in his law practice, and the site provided plenty of good matches.

Committee members pored through old directories, and called current Westporters to ask about neighbors who moved away years ago.  “I must sound really trustworthy,” Linda says.  “Everyone gave me lots of information.”

Steve Mechlin seemed impossible to find.  But one day Skip Shaeffer looked at the “Class Wills” section of the 1960 yearbook.  There he saw Steve’s last name, spelled “Maechtlen.”  Sure enough, the Steve Maecthlen who now lives in Albuquerque was the same one.  He was delighted to be found.

Similarly, a classmate’s last name was spelled both “Cowishaur” and “Cowishaw.”  In his “Class Will,” he left something to someone with a famous Westport name.  When a committee member called the Westporter, he talked about Jim “Cowlishaw.”

The organizer heard the pronunciation, searched online — and found Jim Cowlishaw in Nebraska.  His wife answered the phone and said, “He always wondered why no one ever told him about a reunion.”

“I must have found 20 names misspelled in the yearbook,” Linda says.  “I’m appalled.  Come on – these were our classmates!”

Junior high friends Anne Sharnoff, Jane Smith, Sherri Yellen and Jennette Currie in 1956.

The more they dug, and the more old photos they looked at, the more the Class of ’60 remembered friends who had not gone to Staples.

“The people you hold dear are the ones you played ball with, or went to your first parties with,” Linda says.  “They might have gone to prep school or moved away, but we wanted them.”

The committee found many non-graduates.  They’ll be part of the 175 reunion-goers (including spouses) this weekend.

Three former faculty members will join them:  English instructor (and founder of Staples Players, during their years there) Craig Matheson; social studies teacher Gordon Hall, and physics instructor Nick Georgis.

(Members of the Class of ’60 are now 67 and 68 years old.  You do the math…)

Barbara Picorello Wanamaker (Staples '60) and husband Charlie today.

Tomorrow (Friday) night they’ll meet at Arcudi’s — owned by classmate Joe.  They were originally scheduled for Cobb’s Mill Inn — owned by another classmate, George Guidera — but it closed in July.

(In addition to being restaurateurs, Joe and George share another distinction:  both were first selectmen, of Westport and Weston respectively.)

On Saturday morning returnees will tour the new Staples (deja vu — they entered Staples as sophomores in 1958, the same year the new North Avenue campus opened.)

Tomorrow night there’s dinner at the Norwalk Inn — complete with ’50s music — while Sunday morning features breakfast by the Compo cannons.

So once they found (nearly) everyone, how did the Class of 1960 pass along all the info on their reunion — and provide private email links so everyone could communicate with everyone else?

They set up one of the best reunion websites I’ve ever seen, for any class.

Who knows what they’ll think of for their 75th.

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Posted in People, Staples HS

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Seeing Westport With Fresh Eyes

Posted on September 15, 2010 | 28 comments

A former Westporter — who graduated from Staples in the early 1950s — recently returned, for her near-60th reunion.

She lives out of state, and has not been back for many years.  Afterward, she wrote “06880”:

Most of us don’t live there anymore, but after having many discussions with my classmates, what in the world has happened to our beautiful town!

Maybe you don’t realize it because you live there and see it every day, but it has become so seedy looking.  Main Street is a disaster.  It felt dirty and abandoned.  Town property looked neglected.

I feel so sad looking back on what was.  When I moved in the 1990s, I left a beautiful Westport.  Yes, I know it has McMansions and Compo Beach, but where in the world did its heart disappear to?

She also did not care for the Westport Inn.  “A good, moderate-priced inn is badly needed,” she said.

Despite those disappointments, our reunion-goer had a great time.

“The good news is that all the classmates who attended still had the spirit we had back in Staples,” she reported.

Compo is as scenic as ever.

28 Comments

Posted in Local business, Staples HS, Westport life

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Welcome To myStaples

Posted on September 7, 2010 | 37 comments

Many schools prohibit cell phones.  Administrators fear they’ll be used for games, texting, even cheating.

Staples allows cell phones (though not in class).  They’re a ubiquitous part of life, after all.  A ban won’t eliminate their use; students will simply devise ways around it.

Plus — go figure — they’re plenty helpful.

Senior Eric Lubin took that idea, and made iPhones exponentially more useful.

Eric Lubin, his iPhone and his myStaples app

An experienced app developer — he already has 3 in the iPhone App Store — he spent this summer powering up one of his previous creations, iSHS.

Rechristened myStaples, it’s as versatile as a Swiss Army knife, as easy to use as a doorbell.

And when it’s available on the App Store — hopefully this week — it could become as popular as Flight Control.

A key feature allows students to see their personal daily schedule.  (It’s different each day — not easy to memorize.)   Because the app works off the Staples TV system — which adjusts for special schedules, half days, etc. — it’s always accurate.

A bar at the bottom indicates how much time is left in each period — like for a song or video.  Users can set one-time or permanent reminders (hopefully via vibrate) based on “time remaining.”  For example, students may remind themselves “there’s 30 minutes left in my free period — time to start studying,” while teachers can let themselves know “there are 3 minutes left — time to wrap things up.”

The lunch schedule — always a source of confusion, because it changes based on department and month — is another key feature.

The homework feature is very impressive.  Students simply tap a class, add an assignment, then set a due date.  They can sort their homework by course or due date.  If they check it when it’s done, it’s automatically deleted.

Eric included shortcuts to Blackboard — the school’s course management software — and SnapGrades, a web-based gradebook.

The app is tied to Staples’ TV screens, so the daily announcements are displayed in table view.  That eliminates the need to stand in front of a TV monitor, waiting to see whether there’s a notice that a sports practice is canceled due to bad weather.

Eric tweaked myStaples for iPads, to take advantage of that device’s increased space.  There’s also an iPod version.

Eric considered a social component — the ability to see every other student who shares the same free period, say, or all those taking any section of AP Statistics — but did not have time to include it.

Not that he was slacking — or trying to make money off his app.  Friends have said they’d pay $10 for myStaples — but he’s offering it free.

Perhaps he’ll adapt it for other schools.  After all, Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook for his Harvard college classmates.  Look at him now.

Then again, don’t.

Eric Lubin is a much nicer guy.

(To download Eric’s app, search for “myStaples” in Apple’s App Store, or click on eric.lubin.us/mystaples)

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Project Concern’s Long Legacy

Posted on August 16, 2010 | 12 comments

When Staples’ Class of 1980 met last weekend for its 30th reunion, Janet Dewitt joined the festivities.

She’s not a Staples grad — she left Westport schools after junior high — but she was welcomed joyfully nonetheless.

In fact, Janet never lived in Westport.  From grade 3 in Burr Farms Elementary School through grade 9 at Long Lots Junior High, she joined dozens of other Bridgeport youngsters enrolled in Project Concern.

At the time, Janet did not realize how controversial the program was.  Opponents railed against bringing Bridgeport children to Westport schools.  Some adults were so inflamed, they tried to recall one of Project Concern’s staunchest champions, Board of Education chair Joan Schine.

Proponents worked hard to make the program a success.  School administrators involved the youngsters in every facet of school life, offering academic help, social support and transportation home after extracurricular activities.

Westport parents supported Project Concern too.  Many opened their homes to the Bridgeporters youngsters, after school and on weekends.

That’s why when Janet came to the 30th reunion, she had nothing but fond memories of her experiences here.

“I met a lot of great people.  I loved the teachers.  I learned a lot.  I had a lot of very nice friends,” she says.

Her 1st year here, Janet met Susan Robins.  The women remain in frequent touch.  “Her family took me in,” Janet says.

As Janet got older, she understood that some Bridgeport friends were jealous of her Westport education.  Some were angry at the opportunity she had.

Many were curious as to why she became part of the program.  She herself did not know why.

At the end of 8th grade, Janet transferred to Bridgeport’s Bassick High for personal reasons.

“Bridgeport schools were different,” she says.  “It was tough to adjust.”

More than 3 decades later — when Susan told her about the Staples reunion — Janet wanted to attend.  She’s glad she did.

“It was beautiful,” she says.  “I remembered quite a few people.”

They remembered her too.  Many also knew her brothers, Bo and Ricky.  They too were in Project Concern, from Green’s Farms Elementary School and Long Lots Junior High through Staples.

These days, Janet babysits for her 3 grandchildren — the oldest is 11 — and works for the Connecticut Post.

Like many people — in Westport and Bridgeport — she wonders why Project Concern was allowed to end.  (Budget constraints and transportation difficulties contributed to its demise.  There is another program in its place, but it does not offer as much academic or social support as Project Concern did — and it serves fewer youngsters.)

“It was a beautiful program,” Janet says.  “It would really be nice if they still had it.

“A lot of kids here don’t finish school.  I think they’d be better students, and they’d learn more about life, if the program was still around.

“Westport schools made a difference.  As long as you wanted to do something for yourself, the schools were there to help.

“And of course everyone just really needs to get out and meet different people, as much as they can.”

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Posted in Education, Looking back, People

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Fat Envelopes

Posted on August 10, 2010 | 9 comments

Despite the recession, the college admissions process is as competitive as ever.  The high school class of 2010 is huge, and more of them are applying to more schools — including the most selective — than at any time in history.

This month, Staples’ June graduates head off to schools around the country (and world).  They’re eager to start the next stage of their lives.  They’ve got their laptops; they’ve texted their roommates, and their parents have slapped decals on the backs of their cars.

For many, the school they head to is not the only one they could have attended.  Last spring’s acceptances were good news for many seniors.

How good?

The guidance department has compiled a list of how many students got in where.  The numbers are remarkable.  Here’s a partial list:

  • Boston College:  8
  • University of California-Berkeley:  3
  • Colgate University:  8
  • University of Colorado:  24
  • Columbia University:  5
  • University of Connecticut:  66
  • Cornell University:  11
  • Dartmouth College:  6
  • Duke University:  9
  • The George Washington University:  10
  • Harvard University:  3
  • Hampshire College:  4
  • Lehigh University:  12
  • McGill University:  6
  • University of Michigan:  25
  • New York University:  18
  • Northwestern University:  9
  • University of Pennsylvania:  6
  • Princeton University:  4
  • Syracuse University:  26
  • University of Texas:  5
  • Tulane University:  27
  • Washington University in St. Louis:  9
  • Yale University:  4

But Staples students applied to — and were admitted to — a host of other schools too.  For example:

  • University of Auckland:  1
  • Berklee College of Music:  1
  • University of the Arts:  2
  • University of British Columbia:  1
  • California State University at San Bernardino and San Marcos:  1 each
  • University of Edinburgh:  1
  • Fashion Institute of Technology:  1
  • University of Mississippi:  1
  • Montana State University:  1
  • University of North Carolina School of the Arts:  1
  • University of Nottingham:  1
  • University of Oklahoma:  1
  • Parsons School of Design:  5
  • San Francisco Art Institute:  1
  • University of St. Andrews:  2
  • University of Utah:  2

Getting in to college is tough.  Choosing among several is difficult in its own way.

Reading these random results — there were a few hundred I did not have space to list — shows that Staples students do fine in the college game.  They are accepted at schools that are right for them — accepted at several, in fact — and they have good choices to make.

Rising seniors:  take note.

And parents of rising seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen, 8th graders, 7th, etc.:  take note too.

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Reunion Reflections

Posted on August 8, 2010 | 10 comments

Summer is the time for high school reunions.  Staples’ class of 1975 gathered last month.  This week it’s the 1980s; next weekend it’s ’70’s turn.

Inspired by his weekend last month, Jeff Ford — still a Westporter, as well as a Staples parent and “06880” reader — sent along these thoughts:

My senior year quote in the Staples yearbook began with a quote from Charles Dickens: 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…

Inspired by reading A Tale of Two Cities in 10th grade, I thought at the time (and still think) Dickens captured our high school experience perfectly.

Fast forward to the present.  As I reflect on the 35 years that have passed since I graduated from Staples, and the wonderful experience I had catching up with fellow members of the  Class of 1975 during our recent reunion, another Dickens quote (from David Copperfield) describes how most of my Staples classmates and I have strived to live our lives since we graduated: 

Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest.

Talking with classmates during gatherings at Longshore, Staples, Bobby Q’s, Compo, Dunville’s, The Duck and elsewhere, we were inspired by the success our classmates have enjoyed — from enriching their minds to enriching the minds of others; from getting married and raising families to having loving relationships with their partners; from serving our country to performing on Broadway, television, radio and the big screen; from having successful careers working for a wide variety of institutions to creating businesses and public service organizations; from counseling others  and helping others become empowered to helping protect the rights of others; from staying in Westport to traveling and living all over the world; from creating public policy to creating wondrous art, music, theater, literature and knowledge.

Staples' Class of 1975 gathered for Sunday morning brunch at the Compo marina -- looking none the worse for wear.

A common theme that transcended many of our discussions was love of family and friends.  We spoke of our relationships with our spouses, partners, children, parents and others closest to us.  We spoke of friendships and fond memories from Staples, as well as junior high school and elementary school.  We spoke of what it was like to spend our entire childhood in Westport and what it was like moving to Westport while in high school.  We spoke of both our enduring and failed relationships and of loved ones who have passed on.  We spoke of our children’s successes and challenges.  We spoke of our parents who are still living life to the fullest, those who are slowing down and those who are no longer with us.

In contrast with our high school days, rather than spending most of our time with our closest friends and cliques, over the course of our reunion weekend many of us engaged a broad spectrum of our classmates.

In contrast with Hollywood portrayals of high school reunions, we remained non-judgmental regarding the lives and appearances of our classmates.  When we didn’t recognize or remember each other, we warmly laughed off how many of us have changed in appearance over the years, how full our lives have been and how large our graduating class was.  When we truly didn’t know each other at all, we simply introduced ourselves.

Over the course of our 3-day reunion weekend we talked, laughed, sang, danced, reminisced, rekindled old friendships, established new friendships and had fun.  While, like our high school years, our lives since graduation have been filled with the best and worst of times, our reunion weekend was simply the best of times.

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A Special Graduation Day

Posted on July 24, 2010 | 2 comments

Last month, more than 400 seniors graduated from Staples.

Yesterday, 1 did.

In a special ceremony in principal John Dodig’s conference room, Eitan Dror — who missed the June ceremony due to illness — received his diploma.

And more.

Principal John Dodig hands Eitan Dror his diploma, and a DVD.

Dressed in a cap and gown, Eitan marched in to a recording of “Pomp and Circumstance.”  As superintendent of schools Elliott Landon — and secretaries, vice principals, a nurse, Class of 2010 salutatorian Morgan Patrick and Eitan’s parents all smiled broadly — Dodig presented the better-late-than-never grad with a DVD of the baccalaureate and graduation ceremony he’d missed.

Eitan turned the tassel on his cap.  He tossed it in the air.  He thanked everyone for coming.

Then they all dug into a celebratory cake, baked by the school’s attendance guru Patty McQuone.

This fall Eitan joins 3,000 other freshmen at Binghamton College, .

He’ll be the only one, though, who had his own graduation ceremony.

(Click on this YouTube clip of Eitan’s ceremony.)

Patty McQuone baked this special cake -- shaped like a graduation cap, complete with tassel.

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