Grads and Dads
 
While it is a marketing slogan, it is that time of year again when we are faced with the inevitable reality that our children grow up and get older every year. All across Collin County, students are graduating from one grade to the next, some of them having milestone changes such as moving to first Jason Kindergarten Graduate grade, middle school, high school or even out of the system all together. Every year, we face this passage of time with emotion as we face change and, dare I say, our aging.

This year marks a key milestone in our household as our youngest son graduated from high school.  With his brother only a year older, this marked our second graduation in two years so a lot of new emotions as we faced the prospect of an empty house in the fall.  Beyond our personal reasons, graduation was particularly special as our son attended Plano Academy and this graduation was the first for student who attended all four years of high school there.  This unique school has been an interesting experience for all of us and quite different than our Plano Senior High School experience of our eldest with no Jason High School Graduate strong traditions, project-based learning, and small classes.  Nowhere was this difference more pronounced than at graduation!  
 
With only 98 graduating seniors compared to the 1400 from Plano Senior in 2016, the ceremony was clearly shorter and had a more personal as they showed video from the school and the student speakers discussed the special experience of opening the school and establishing its traditions.  It was, of course, also bittersweet as we looked on with pride and wistfulness as our own son and his friends walked across the stage - several of whom, we have known since grade school.

From kindergarten to high school, we have met their friends, occasionally were able to help with homework, and had a peek into their school days.  While it seems like yesterday that I cried my eyes out in the parking lot after dropping him off at kindergarten, time shows that it has really been 12 full years.  And as much change as occurred in those 12 years, the next 12 will be bring even bigger The Benton Family changes as relationships change, they join the “real world,” and hopefully start their own families.

We are very proud of our two graduates as we are sure you are of yours.  Please share your pride with a shout out to your student and tell us from where they graduated.  
 
We wish all the 2017 Graduates the best of luck and great happiness in their next pursuit. And to the fathers of all the graduates, whether from kindergarten to high school, Happy Father’s Day and enjoy whatever stage they are in as it all goes by so fast!