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A new tradition

Salem News - 8/4/2021

Aug. 4—SALEM — Donna and Jack Harris watched Tuesday morning as their two daughters graduated Salem High School in the school's first-ever summer graduation exercises.

The ceremony honored four students at Salem High who weren't able to graduate under traditional circumstances. Emily and Kate Harris, for example, have disabilities related to rare chromosome disorders, and Tuesday also marked Emily's 22nd birthday — the date at which she legally ages out of Salem Public Schools and can no longer attend.

"The day before they turn 22 is generally the last day of school. That's just the way the Department of Developmental Services works," said Robin Abbott, a Salem High teacher who has worked with Emily for the past two years. "Because Emily and Kate were both in outside placements when they were 18, they didn't get to participate in our graduation ceremonies.

"We wanted to make this day extra special for them," Abbott continued, "because they've worked just as hard — and they deserve to have that day just as much — as their peers. They've done just as much hard work."

While Emily was aging out Tuesday, her sister Kate, 19, would've graduated in 2020 but couldn't due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, she graduated Tuesday as well alongside her sister.

The ceremony was held in the main lobby of Salem High School, with a podium and white city of Salem backdrop arranged in front of 24 chairs. A boombox played Pomp and Circumstance after the graduates and families entered, and soon, the ceremony was underway.

The ceremony, like the high school's graduation on Salem Common this past June, also included remarks from Mayor Kim Driscoll and Superintendent Steve Zrike.

"I'm really excited that this is the first annual summer graduation we've had at Salem High School," Zrike said. "We appreciate the families who've advocated for this, and this will be a tradition we're going to carry on."

The Harris family pushed the hardest for the ceremony, Abbott said. They made the case that students with disabilities often start school years ahead of their peers and continue long after they turn 18, often with stronger attendance records.

"I don't think the amount of time this population goes to school for, they shouldn't get a diploma," said Donna Harris. "Not that they're going to use it — a certificate of attainment just says they've been to school. But they do everything a typical student has to do. They have to take MCAS."

But the ceremony wasn't just for the students — it was also for the parents to celebrate their child's journey with the staff who made it possible.

Emily and Kate's father, Jack Harris, previously served on Salem'sCommission on Disabilities for two decades. He said solid staff are critical in the process as well, something he and Donna both say they experienced at Salem High.

"I remember when I went to school, my parents probably went to the school once a year if they were... whatever the situation was," Jack Harris said. "For us, this has been an everyday conversation with the public school system as to what needs to be adopted, and their educational needs. It's important to have a staff who can communicate with parents in their worst moments as well as their best moments."

The ceremony also included powerful remarks from Alejandrina Sanchez, whose 17-year-old son Mario was among the graduates. Speaking through an interpreter, she talked about challenges she and Mario faced in other districts after moving out of the city, and how it felt bringing him back to Salem High, where he became part of the school's Junior ROTC program.

The fourth student to graduate Tuesday was Jonathan Montes.

Speaking after the ceremony, Sanchez said her son graduating helped put humanity back into education, "because all of these students had the same opportunities." Had he not come back to Salem High, he likely wouldn't have completed his education, she said.

"Thanks to Salem High School, my son was able to succeed in a lot of programs, with the JROTC and a lot of the other programs he was able to benefit from," Sanchez said. "I'd like to thank the teachers, the councilors, the nurses, everyone who played a part in my son coming to school here from day one."

Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.

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