Graduation from a different perspective

A golf ball had the best seat in the house for graduation last week.

The idea presents two questions. What does a golf ball have to do with a high school graduation and how can a golf ball have the best seat?

I saw it done with my own two eyes and my camera as Holtville principal Sean Kreauter presided over commencement services at his alma mater for the first time. Kreauter even invited the big guns — his 2001 Holtville classmate and valedictorian Jason Bobo who is currently a staff attorney with the University of Alabama System — the same system Coach Nick Saban retired from. the same Holtville that can lay partial claim to Georgia's Kirby Smart.

Bobo reflected on his career and even repeated part of his speech from 2001.

While Bobo talked about what he would do differently and gave advice to the Class of 2024 who had yet to receive their diplomas, I saw something. There was a graduate with a golf ball. Then another and another.

It quickly dawned on me the senior class planned to present Kreauter with the round balls in a variety of colors when they shook hands with him. In the past I’ve seen Hot Wheels passed at the handshake. On Thursday night I saw coins and little plastic ducks passed to Elmore County High School principal Jason Eason. There was always a place to quietly dispose of the graduation gift.

Kreauter soon walked up to the table covered in diplomas and flowers. But there was nowhere for the golf balls. No box, no jar, nothing.

Kreauter reached for a handshake realizing in front of thousands he was in trouble. He took the golf and turned. As Kreauter started to grab the next diploma, he gave the golf ball a quick toss over the table to the feet of assistant principal Lana Moore who was calling out the names.

The seniors all smiled.

The next golf ball met a similar fate. Maybe even the third. But rather quickly one bounced on the table and landed on the ground in front for everyone to see. It had the best seat to see all the handshakes.

Graduate after graduate continued to come up. Most with a golf ball. Kreauter got almost all of them over the table. It was as if he was at the driving range perfecting his shot.

Another dropped in front for all to see. The principal squatted down to pick it up. He tossed it behind the table to even more laughs from the seniors.

Kreauter’s game was progressing. It was consistent. He figured out how to swipe the ball from the graduate and dispose of it at Moore’s feet. That is until Samuel Spangler came up.

Spangler shook Kreauter’s hand passing the golf ball and taking the diploma. But before he shook the hand of superintendent Richard Dennis, Spangler dropped and did the worm. In the process he lost his green diploma amongst the wet green grass.

Kreauter spotted and retrieved it. He held it back from Spangler as if the teenager wasn’t going to be allowed to graduate. But with a grin from ear to ear the principal let the graduate pass.

After the ceremony and a crisp $100 bill in his hand Spangler admitted he did the worm on a dare.

Bobo said he only remembers giving Dennis a hard time when he and Kreauter graduated from Holtville.

Dennis has a few trophies from graduation ceremonies in his office — spirit sticks, cars and such.

Stanhope Elmore graduates got in on the fun last year with principal Ewell Fuller. They passed small representations of cell phones Fuller bagged during the school day.

The phones are now presented in a cage in Fuller’s office.

Bobo thought about collecting some of the golf balls to work on his game but figured out they were plastic. Kreauter admitted he had never thought much about golf before Friday night.

Even as Dennis remembered graduations gone by, he collected a few balls. He might present them to Kreauter at an appropriate time.

Regardless of the time, 2001 or anytime in the future, the Holtville Class of 2024 reconnected a principal and two Holtville grads in a way no one else could. And it was all while a golf ball looked up at them from the best seat in the house.

Cliff Williams is the news editor of Tallapoosa Publishers Inc.’s Elmore County newspapers. He can be reached at cliff.williams@thewetumpkaherald.com.