East High School Graduation Photos, Story

In front of a limited number of parents and friends in the gym, and with hundreds more watching in other rooms by closed circuit TV the East High School Class of 2013 walked out of high school and into the "awaiting world" Thursday evening.

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Two by two graduates received their diploma folders, turned toward the audience inside the East High School gym, smiled for the cameras and moved the tassles on their mortar board caps from the right side to the left indicate their change in status from student to graduate.

The ceremony was forced inside by spotty showers and a forecast that included the potential for fast moving, possibly severe storms. The more intimate setting allowed for only two ticket-holders per graduate to watch in the gym while hundreds more watched the commencement exercises in other parts of the building on a live TV feed.

This was the West Chester Area School District's third and final graduation ceremony of the week. Rustin High School held commencement exercises on Tuesday and Henderson High School's graduation was held on Wednesday. Just as he had at easlier ceremonies Superintendent James Scanlon told the district's 2013 graduates that they are the ultimate report card for how well the school district is doing. East High School ranks in the top five percent of the nation's more than 26,000 public high schools, Sanlon told the graduating seniors.

Some of that success could be seen through the awarding of dozens and dozens of academic, athletic, arts and activities awards and scholarships announced during the ceremony.  The recitation of the academic and other honors took almost as much time as the reading of the names of each and every one of the more than 300 graduates.

One of the most loudest and most stirring moments of the night came when Principal Richard Dunlap asked graduates who are planning to be part of ROTC in college or who are enrolling in the U.S. armed forces to stand and be recognized. The gym erupted in  ustained applause as the future soldiers stood. Classmates also stood to give the ROTC and armed forces volunteers a long and thunderous round of applause.