A group of residents in the Mid South neighborhood of Southern Pines gathered together last week to salute their 2020 graduates with much fanfare.
Utilizing their neighborhood Facebook page to collect each graduate’s name, address, and graduation level (pre-k, middle School, high school, college), the residents formed a “cheerleading team” that coordinated a schedule of visits to each individual’s home on an agreed-upon date and time.
The team showed up in their cars or golf carts, which were festively decorated, with balloons and noisemakers, a presentation of small gifts, and thunderous applause.
Each graduate was also presented with a personalized placard highlighting their graduation achievement. And it was truly special that one of the residents, a talented photographer, donated his time to take and share the pictures of all the graduates and their special moment.
All photos captured by Gary Magee.
The excitement, smiles and laughter from the graduates and their families when they opened their front doors to such a celebratory scene truly were emotional and heartfelt, particularly given the circumstances.
Unfortunately, this year’s graduates were not able to hear the cheers that would typically occur during a “normal” graduation season, and they all seemed incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support by their neighbors.
Contributed
