The Apostolic Church of Auburn Hills was the site of the Pontiac Academy for Excellence graduation. Like the church itself, they had a little bit of church in the mix with the graduation.
When I was teaching full-time, students sagging their pants was the number one dress code violation. For girls, between showing cleavage or wearing skirts that are too short, there really wasn't too much for a teacher to do. What is really strange about the story below is the girl that wore a skirt that could hardly be considered risque. She also wore the outfit several times to school before drawing the ire of a school staff member. What her mom decided to do about the suspension is pretty funny and draw accolades from quite a few people.
Mom Wears Daughter's 'Too Short' Dress to Her Graduation
When Amy Redwine's 17-year-old daughter, Violet Burkhart, was sent home from school
for wearing a dress that a teacher thought was too short, the
Lexington, North Carolina, mom couldn't believe it. Not only was it
Violet's last day of classes before graduation, but she had worn the
dress to school half a dozen times before without any problems. To
cheer up her upset daughter, Redwine joked that she would wear the dress
herself to Violet's graduation – and that's exactly what
she did. Now, her subtle-but-defiant act has sparked conversations
throughout her community about school dress codes.
"Pick
on me. I'm an adult. I can take it," Redwine tells Yahoo Shine about
her decision to wear the above-the-knee floral frock to Violet's
graduation from Central Davidson High School. She believes that Violet
was singled out by teachers, and that the dress code rules were applied
inconsistently. Otherwise, Redwine says, her daughter was a good student
whose only previous fashion infraction was when she wore black lipstick
to school and a teacher called it "distracting."
Amy Redwine wears the dress in question on her daughter's graduation day. (Photo courtesy Amy Redwine)
Redwine says she was inspired by the famous Jeannie C. Rily song "Harper Valley PTA,"
about a single mom who is criticized by the other mothers at her
daughter's school for wearing short skirts and retaliates by calling out
the other parents at a PTA meeting.
"People were coming up to me
saying "thank you" and giving me hugs and complimenting the dress," she says about the graduation ceremony. "Several
moms told me they were going to wear the shortest dress they had. Even
some teachers told me they were going to wear short dresses. You know it
meant something. It meant standing up to the school board, to the bullies, standing up for my daughter."
For
Redwine, wearing her Violet's dress started out as a joke, but it
quickly turned into an opportunity to teach her daughter a lesson about
standing up for yourself when you think you've been unfairly criticized.
Violet, who plans to enroll in a community college culinary school
program, had a blast on her graduation day posing for photos – with her in a red cap and gown, and Mom in a flowered dress. Both of them also wore big smiles.
Sacred Heart- Wow, what a graduation ceremony. The parent responses portion of the program and presentation of the roses was really incredible. These 29 girls received more than $3.2 million in college scholarships! The schools the girls are being accepted to are below the picture link below.
What an incredible speaker Sacred Heart had and they did not have to go far. The graduation speaker was Natalie Cochran from the class of 2004. Her heart felt message of pursuing your dreams was personal and profound. She also has an incredible voice and with her listening to people telling her she could always fall back on her detour of hospice care, she listened to people (Yes, God uses people) and is once again pursuing her dream of being a professional opera singer.
Walled Lake Central teacher Neb Stojkovic will enjoy his summer after an intense month that landed him a spot on the Michael and Kelly Show on ABC as the runner-up teacher after being nominated by a student. In a post in May in this blog, his story was told by Channel 7 News and the Michael and Kelly Show. In a story written by Carol Hopkins of the Oakland Press, his prize is 30 I Pads by students in the Walled Lake District. Her story is below.
Walled Lake Central teacher wins iPads, software for students, district
Walled Lake Central teacher Neb Stojkovic with his former
student Kelsey Prena, 23, and the first of 30 iPads that he will receive
after finishing 2nd on the LIVE! With Kelly and Michael show’s Top
Teacher contest. Prena wrote the letter that got Stojkovic nominated and
he will receive the iPads and personalized software for his classroom
from CompassLearning. Friday, June 6, 2014. Tim Thompson-The Oakland
Press
While standing on stage shooting a photo story where some of the biggest names in pop history have performed, sometimes the best moments are for the common people. Not that the Lake Orion Graduation was an uneventful event. For Joice Dominquez, an unexpected reunion with her sister Anglelyn who flew in earlier in the week and surprised the 2014 Lake Orion Graduate. Angelyn is a Staff Sargent in the Air Force and her sister will follow in her footsteps later this year. Lara Mossa, a staff writer for the Oakland Press picks up the story and the complete photo album of the Lake Orion graduation is linked in the story.
Lake Orion grad surprised by military sister
Lake Orion senior Joice Dominquez is surprised by her sister,
Angelyn Dominquez, coming home to see her graduation from Lake Orion
High School on Tuesday, June 10, at DTE Energy Music Theatre. Photo by
Roy J. Akers - Special to The Oakland Press
Lake Orion senior Joice Dominquez is surprised by her
sister, Angelyn Dominquez, coming home to see her graduation from Lake
Orion High School on Tuesday, June 10, at DTE Energy Music Theatre.
Photo by Roy J. Akers - Special to The Oakland Press
INDEPENDENCE TWP. >> School leaders in Lake Orion helped
Angelyn Dominguez, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, surprise her
sister at graduation.
It is a reunion story with a twist for younger sister Joice Dominguez.
Angelyn Dominguez took a leave from the U.S. Air Force this month to attend her sister’s graduation from Lake Orion High School.
But she didn’t want to hide for eight days, she said, because she
wanted to visit with her family. So, she talked to school officials and
made arrangements to present her sister with her diploma at the
ceremony. HERE ARE PHOTOS FROM THE GRADUATION.
“I thought it would be really special,” said Angelyn Dominguez, 28, who leaves back for her base in South Korea on Thursday. “We’re really close. It was a big thing in her life.
“It was a big moment for her. I thought it would be special if I gave it to her.”
At the Tuesday graduation ceremony, which was held at DTE Energy
Music Theatre near Clarkston, Dominguez snuck out during the program,
changed into her dress uniform, and appeared on stage to give her sister
the certificate.
“I was completely shocked,” said Joice Dominguez, 18. “It was
amazing. I couldn’t hold back the tears. It was just the most amazing
thing that’s happened so far in my life.”
Daughters of Bruce and Kathy Dominguez of Lake Orion, the girls
have not seen each other in about a year. Despite their age difference,
they have always been close.
“We’re pretty much best friends,” Joice Dominguez said.
Angelyn Dominguez, a staff sergeant, has been in the military for
six years and is a crew chief for an F-16 Fighting Falcon. Joice
Dominguez will follower in her footsteps and enter the U.S. Air Force
later this year; she hopes to someday be stationed with her sister when
she returns to the states. While in school, she was a member of the
National Honor Society.
The Apostolic Church of Auburn Hills was the site of the Pontiac Academy for Excellence graduation. Like the church itself, they had a little bit of church in the mix with the graduation. 
When Amy Redwine's 17-year-old daughter, Violet Burkhart, was sent home from school
for wearing a dress that a teacher thought was too short, the
Lexington, North Carolina, mom couldn't believe it. Not only was it
Violet's last day of classes before graduation, but she had worn the
dress to school half a dozen times before without any problems. To
cheer up her upset daughter, Redwine joked that she would wear the dress
herself to Violet's graduation – and that's exactly what
she did. Now, her subtle-but-defiant act has sparked conversations
throughout her community about school dress codes.
