BURKARD'S BLOG

30 MAY 03: NOT THE END, BUT THE BEGINNING

Now I'm REALLY confused. Muscogee County started having commencement exercises this afternoon - while I was at a Kroger store in Auburn, looking at a display promoting raisins as "great for BACK to school." Finally this "early-season" marketing stuff has gone too far!

It's graduation weekend in Muscogee County public schools. Our best wishes to all the high school seniors - and remember: the driver's license photos will NEVER look as good as your senior picture.

There's a big switch this commencement weekend in town. The Friday night graduation exercises are at the Civic Center - but the Saturday ceremonies had to be moved, because the Columbus Wardogs reserved the building for arena football first! Since the Wardogs are 2-and-5, we know which group has the better success rate....

The Wardogs tried to play nice, to settle the controversy over moving some graduation ceremonies out of the Civic Center. All high school seniors were promised a free ticket to an arena football game. Given the team's record right now, maybe it should sign some bulky seniors to contracts instead.

(I think I've figured out what put the Wardogs out of sorts, after a two-game winning streak to start the year. Radio announcer Justin Cazana had to miss the third game -- and they've never recovered since.)

For some reason, there was no mention in the media this year of the "quiet commencement" policy - where people making noise or clapping hands during the reading of seniors' names risk getting kicked out of the arena. Maybe the school district now has a "quietly-do-away-with-it" policy.