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Parent asks to name students entering military at Highland graduation; administration offered quick follow-up
Summary
A Highland High parent asked the board and administration to read aloud the names of students entering military service during the school's graduation ceremony; she said Superintendent McCord and Principal Yee followed up after she raised the concern.
Jolynn Francis, a parent of a Highland High senior, asked the board on May 20 to ensure that students entering military service or service academies are formally recognized by name during Highland's graduation ceremony Thursday.
Francis said last year's graduates who made military commitments were publicly named and that those moments had "a powerful impact" on students and families. She said when she learned there was no plan to read names this year she contacted Principal Yee and later Superintendent McCord; she told the board she was "grateful for the responses I received" and that the principal indicated students entering military service would be asked to stand but their names would not be read.
Francis suggested a simple administrative solution: at the ceremony rehearsal, ask graduating students entering military service to provide their names and branch so a list can be finalized for the evening ceremony. "These students are stepping into lives of service, discipline and sacrifice. That deserves more than a silent moment," Francis told the board, asking the governing board to make name-based recognition a standard practice across the district.
The board did not vote on the request at the meeting; Francis said she received quick engagement from district staff after raising the issue.
