Journeys›Photograph

Alder Creek Middle School Graduation

·Truckee, California·#summer#tahoe#family#graduation#milestone
A young woman in a white dress smiles at the camera, surrounded by other young people in front of a gray wall.

Eighth grade done. The kids lined up outside first, against that big cracked wall by the gym — a sea of white dresses and one boy in a Mexican flag patch on his shirt, folding chairs everywhere, nobody standing still for long. My daughter had her octopus tote slung over the white dress, which about sums her up.

Inside for the ceremony itself. She got the red diploma cover — Alder Creek Middle School, Truckee, California, in gold letters — and posed with it long enough for me to see it before she was off again.

Afterward the gym filled with balloons and carnations. She humored me for a selfie, then went to find her friends, and I mostly saw the back of her head for the rest of the night. Four years of this building, over just like that.

A group of young people stand outdoors, some facing forward, others with their backs turned, against a textured wall.A group of young people stand, with a girl in white holding an octopus bag prominent, against a gray wall.A person in a white dress smiles at the camera while sitting indoors with other people.A person in a white dress smiles, holding a red diploma cover, with another person partially visible on the right.A man and a young woman take a selfie indoors, with a crowd of people and balloons visible in the background.Two people look at the camera, with others and colorful balloons visible in the blurry background of an indoor event.

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