June 13-18, 2006 - Upper Moreland High School Graduation
Christopher Sokolowski graduated from Upper Moreland High School on June 13, and people from all over came to wish him well.
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Chris and the grandparents
Chris poses with his father's parents, shortly before departing for the graduation ceremony.
Chris with the grandparents
Three generations
Here, Chris poses with both his parents and grandparents. Shortly after, Tony Hoffman would also wish his congratulations.
Handicapped access
Upper Moreland High School had a handicapped seating area near the bottom of the bleachers.
Cramped seating
Seating was cramped in the first two rows of the bleachers. Several people told Steve to move over to the left, but he could not, because others were seated there.
Empty track
The track at the high school was empty and so were the graduates' chairs, as everyone waited for people to arrive.
Filing in
The procession ended in the graduates lining up in chairs facing the crowd.
Sea of faces
In 2000, Mr. Daher said that the graduates tend to pull together around the time of the Senior Prom. In this picture, the cliques and social groups have disappeared.
More faces
graduates caps gowns tassels
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Sit down
After the applause for the award recipients, all graduates took their seats.
Alma Mater
The Upper Moreland Alma Mater was played at some point during the ceremony. The song was written by an Upper Moreland graduate.
The Next Generation
The faces in the crowd entered the real world, albeit with some trepidation.
Long-winded
The superintendent gave a long-winded speech as his farewell address, taking almost 20 minutes. The crowd groaned every time he started a new paragraph.
Streaks in the sky
Planes warmed up for the Willow Grove Air Fest, which was scheduled for the weekend.
Photographs
Photographs were taken of each student, which were then offered for sale along with the report cards.
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Again, Chris and the grandparents
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The rest of the family
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Chris and his Godmother
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Jean Sokolowski, through a fence
This flattering picture was snapped through a fence at the side of the stands.
The diploma table
On this table would later rest the diplomas offered to the graduates.
Leading the procession
The graduates began the procession promptly at 7:00pm.
Leading the charge
Chris
Christopher Sokolowski was near the front of the procession, owing to his short stature.
Eyes forward
Chris marched in military fashion, not turning to look once at the women marching alongside or at the crowd.
Smile!
Chris did smile once, though, when some people screamed "CHRIS" from the stands.
Another view of the stands
The National Anthem
The first order of business was to have a chorus member perform the national anthem, while the graduates stood at attention.
Speakers
Commencement speakers at Upper Moreland are chosen by a commitee of teachers; the speakers might not be the highest ranked.
School Board
The Board of Education arrived first and presided over the ceremonies.
Mr. Daher
Mr. Daher gave a speech during the ceremony congratulating the graduates on their supurb performance.
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Military man
Chris rarely moved his head left or right during the ceremony, always looking straight ahead.
Pretigious honor
Christopher was awarded three scholarships, more than all except two others. Here, he stands to be recognized.
Another award
Chris continued to receive awards at other points of the ceremony as well. Here, he wins a computer science honor, even though he had no intention of majoring in computers.
Class Gift
The class gift was a new bear costume, which someone wore to show off the outfit.
Musical tribute
Here, a young woman gets up to sing a musical tribute to the graduates' success.
"Unwritten"
Unfortunately, "Unwritten," by Natasha Beddingfield, was not an appropriate choice. The singer was off-key.
Awarding the degrees
The conferral of degrees began on the left of each section and proceeded up and then down to the right, leaving Chris for last.
Conferral of degrees
As Michael Casey looks on from the left, students filed down to finish their educations.
Finally!
Shortly before this picture was taken, a man with an air horn wouldn't stop blowing the thing for almost a minute, angering spectators.
Calm as a cucumber
Whereas most graduation ceremonies are rife with emotion, Chris was unfazed.
Good job!
Chris shakes Michael Daher's hand after receiving his degree.
Return to seat
Chris was relieved to be finished after the degree was handed to him.
Moving the tassels
Students here prepare to move the tassels, toss their caps into the air, and bolt off the field in celebration.
Sarah, eating lunch
During the afternoon of the day of the party, Sarah chowed down on a Calloways' turkey sandwich.
Chris's present
Sarah had planned to finish knitting this present for Chris, but was not able to finish in time.
A nice thought
Sarah had said that she expected us to use the towel as we would any other, but my guess is that it would have been saved as a memory, too valuable to actually use.
Margarita Machines
A margarita maker and a dacquiri machine were ordered to provide fresh beverages throughout the length of the party.
Beautiful decorations
Sarah put up some beautiful decorations in the form of balloons, while Chris hung Christmas lights for illumination at night.
The tent
The tent, tables, and chairs, were all rented specifically for the party.
The lone table
A lone table was situated behind the tent. It would later serve as a good place for watching the Willow Grove Air Fest 2006.
Flowers and garden
These flowers, planted by Jean Sokolowski, added ambience to the scene.
Spanning the generations
Sarah holds Jean Muzyka's hand here shortly before everyone else arrived.
Hi!
Henry Sokolowski chats with his father.
The grandparents
Geneieve and Henry Sokolowski share a drink to their grandson's hard work.
Yo!
The cousins wave hello.
The In-Laws chat
The two sets of grandparents talked with each other for much of the afternoon.
Full swing
By 3:30pm, the party was in full swing.
Good times
Tony Hoffman, Steve Sokolowski, and others discuss the World Cup as they watched it on a portable television.
Preparing the feast
The servers prepared the feast that was to follow. While the chicken caccitore was well-received, several guests complained about the roast beef.
Enjoying the buffet
The grandparents and other family members enjoyed the food immensely.
Work
People from Henry Sokolowski's office were also invited to the party.
Meet the neighbors
Here, Bob Altimari chats with Bernie McElderry, husband of Christopher's father's sister.
Another angle
The conversation between the neighbors and the in-laws, from a different angle. Here, former neighbor Scott Curry can be seen at left as well.
The side of the tent
A view of the main tent during the party, facing toward the Altimaris' house.
All smiles
Rita Wilkowski, her son Jeff, and his fiancé Katie are exceedingly happy in this shot.
They finally noticed!
Matt Care (right), Sarah Duncan (center), and Dave Litzenberger (left) turn around to wave.
Susan, the life of the party
Susan Janowiak was the life of the "EPA employees" group, shown here commanding the table's conversation.
Eating dinner
A group of friends of Steve and Christopher Sokolowski chat with each other during dinner.
Al's shot
Henry Sokolowski asked Al Zacharca to take a group photo of the younger crowd.
Slightly funnier
From left to right: (top) David Curry, Tony Hoffman, John Silvestri, Steve Conway, Michael Curry; (bottom) Matt Care, Sarah Duncan, Steve Sokolowski, Dave Liztenberger
Water fight
Sarah Duncan started a water fight around 7:00pm. Here, she shoots photographer Steve Sokolowski.
Revenge
Even though she started the fight, Sarah later asked, confused, "Why does everyone want to shoot me?"
Seduction... or death?
Here, it's not clear where Sarah is attempting to seduce the photographer, or kill him.
Security guard
John Silvestri used a 10-year-old Super Soaker to make sure the little kids didn't approach the table.
The grown ups' area (except for Matt Spiecker)
When Christopher wanted to get away from the water fight, he retreated to this area, where the Hoffmans talked with Jean and one of her friends.
Don't forget the beer!
Even though the tap malfunctioned halfway through the party, the issue didn't stop Henry Sokolowski and Scott Curry from having a good time.
Lazy bums
For some reason, Tony Hoffman and Michael Curry watched TV inside while everyone else was having fun.
Case of the munchies
Christopher Sokolowski had a case of the munchies late in the evening on Saturday.
Halloween, five months early
Colin Spiecker puts on a dreadful face here while holding a cup of water.