graduation

Last night my son graduated from John Overton Comprehensive High School. Chaney is a 13-year veteran of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), and he has always attended his zoned school: 5 years at Norman Binkley Elementary School (0.4 miles from our house), 2 years at Rose Park Middle School (6 miles away), 2 years at Croft Middle Design Center (1 mile away), and four years at Overton (2.3 miles). MNPS have taken a lot of flack through the years, and certainly the school system has a lot of room for improvement, but our experiences have been very positive. Chaney has had excellent teachers at each school he has attended, and he would not have become a National Merit Finalist Scholarship winner without their help. 

As we made our way through the crowded lobby after Overton's graduation ceremony last night at Belmont's Curb Event Center, a friend remarked that she felt like she was in the midst of the "It's A Small World Ride" at DisneyWorld because of the ethnic diversity. While such diversity frightens some parents, it's one of the things that I have treasured the most about my son's public education in Nashville. Just among the list of distinguished scholars (students with a cumulative average of 93-100), I found the following surnames: Abdullatif, Al-Jabbary, Boggs, Durani, Elassoulit, Hartzell, Hesen, Juarez, Juru, Le, Lin, Marquina, Martinez, McCann, Mohamed, Msoma, Quach, Sueing, Swiney, Tan, Yosuf, Young.

Chaney has gone to school with students from five of the seven continents. He has been in classes with refugees from Iraq and Kosovo. He's watched as students who started out in the English as a Second Language class in elementary school have become fluent in English and have excelled academically. He's brushed elbows with students from every socio-economic level. He's spent day after day walking the halls with more people who don't look like him than those who do - and that's a great thing, in my opinion. 

In her valedictory speech last night, my friend Adriana made a reference to the One who knew her before she was in her mother's womb. Looking out over the crowd that had assembled to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2009 last night, I thought about how intimately God knew each person in that room, how He made each and every one of us in His own image, and how He loves each one of us passionately. 

My son has been well-educated by Metropolitan Nashville Public School, and I am extraordinarily grateful. And God has been with Chaney every step of the way these past 13 years, teaching him invaluable lessons about the diversity of His creation. Thanks be to God!