Yangmyung Graduation

I am back from my vacation, and you can expect to see several posts about it in the next week or two. But first, here is the last activity of the school year, which immediately preceded the vacation. And I do mean immediately: the graduation ceremony for sixth graders ended about 12:15, I locked up my classroom, went home and changed, then caught a taxi to the subway. My flight left on time at 4:35.

The ceremony tales place in the auditorium, which is a kind of addition located on the roof of the school building. There are about 95 sixth grade students, in four classes, each wearing their own colored shirts. It begins with a few dance or musical performances by the graduates, while their classmates look on:


The classes go in order, receiving their diplomas and a handshake from the principal while a slide show behind them displays a pic and some other information, like what they want to be when they grow up.


Then, special achievements are recognised, there is some group singing, and the new graduates are serenaded by the fifth grade chorus:


They then exit to applause, and go to a reception downstairs. I stand by the door to congratulate them, and receive lots of thanks, handshakes and hugs.


It was about 4 C when I left school, and about 28 C when I arrived in Singapore at 10:15 local time. I had sixteen full days of sunshine in Singapore and Koh Samui, returning Monday night at about 10 o'clock. My walk to work the next morning--the first day of the new school year--was in good time, but an air temp. of 1 C. Sigh.