There are many ups and downs to growing up in a place where everyone knows each other. Living in a small town can feel suffocating at times — I’ll be the first one to testify to that. There is essentially nowhere in my little shoreline town of Madison, Connecticut, that you can go on any given day and not see at least one person you know. On top of that, everyone knows everything about each other — so if something happens to you that you don’t want people to know about, you can kiss that dream of secrecy goodbye.
With that said, there was no place I’d rather be on high school graduation day. All of the very best parts of a small town were amplified this weekend as my family and I watched my little brother get his diploma.
It is a tradition in my town for the graduating class to stay overnight at the high school after graduation. Countless parents — regardless of whether they have children who are members of the graduating class — volunteer their time to decorate the entire interior of the school so that it’s nearly unrecognizable. A different theme is chosen each year, and the town as a whole works together to keep said theme secret from the graduates until they get to see it for themselves as they arrive that night. That day though, once all the decorating has been finished, the halls are flooded with town members touring the inside of the school, admiring the decorations and all the hard work that has been done.
Around 5 p.m., everyone migrates from the school to the town green, where graduation is held. Pretty much the entire town shows up every year to support and cheer on the graduates, whether or not they have a child clad in cap and gown. The feeling of community and support is palpable; in this moment, it’s as if the entire town is one big family. A family who cares for each other, too — tickets in the actual seating area are rather scarce and hard to come by, but when the people seated in front of me saw that my brother’s girlfriend was standing on the outskirts without a ticket, they immediately turned around to us and offered an extra ticket they happened to have so that she could come sit with us.
As the graduates crossed the stage, overwhelming applause erupted for each individual kid. The speeches given by the valedictorian, salutatorian, and essayist were each filled with inside jokes about the longstanding teachers that everyone understood and could take part in. The unity felt on the town green that day, and on a special evening in June every year, is incredible. I don’t think I truly realized how special graduation in a small town was until I got to be a part of the audience. When I crossed that same stage at my own graduation ceremony two years ago, I was too overwhelmed with excitement and emotion of my own to notice what surrounded me. It wasn’t until I was watching my little brother in the very same ceremony that I got to appreciate what I was part of in that moment. As I watched my brother walk across that stage, no longer a little, bright-eyed boy, but a kind and talented young man, I felt an indescribable pride and excitement on his behalf. And as I looked around me, I was surprised to see the same excitement and pride in the faces of everyone else there. Because even though these are the same people you might have tried (and failed) to avoid while running to the grocery store in your pajamas, they too watched you grow up. They too are proud of you in this special moment.
On graduation day each year, this little town not only comes together, but works hard to create an unforgettable 24 hours for a lucky group of kids who get to call Madison, Connecticut, their home.
