Ceremony for sophomores gives kids boost

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Updated: September 15, 2011 12:28AM

Despite being a left-leaning liberal — indeed, if I may brag, “the king of left-wing lunacy in the Windy City,” according to Andrew Breitbart’s blog — I still sometimes flash the sneer of self-righteous contempt that the American Right has so thoroughly mastered.

For instance, I felt my lip curl when I first heard of “Half Cap” celebrations — quasi graduation ceremonies held by a few Chicago high schools at the end of sophomore year.

Just lovely. I immediately saw the situation, or thought I did. With 41 percent of Chicago Public School students failing to graduate, rather than assault that shameful statistic, the CPS instead moves the goalposts to the 50-yard line and throws a party after sophomore year. Prizes for everyone!

The problem with that view is it is entirely wrong, which I grasped when I learned more about the ceremonies— nothing like a little information to spoil a good sneer.

I spoke with Elizabeth Dozier, principal of Fenger High School, which held its Half Cap ceremony last week. So, I said, sneeringly, the idea here is to let kids bask in the joy of accomplishment when they’re halfway there, since so many won’t make it to actual graduation? Party when you can. Is that it?

“Oh, no, no, no,” said Dozier. “This is part of our effort to get them to graduate. A little congratulations for staying on track. You know the stats on CPS in terms of graduation rates. You look around, you can almost despair when it comes to education. We want to encourage and motivate and honor kids in our communities. A lot of kids don’t get that at home. It’s a really important task for us to provide that motivation. To say, ‘You’re almost there, here’s some encouragement’ — that means so much to them.”

The sophomores didn’t wear caps and gowns but marched in procession to “Pomp and Circumstance.” There isn’t a diploma but a certificate “for your accomplishments toward your 2013 graduation!”

Not every sophomore could attend — they had to be passing all classes and have earned year-end sophomore credits, plus put in 20 service learning hours. Students who took part said it meant a lot to them.

“It shows me I’m doing what I need to do to finish high school,” said Markeyla Epps, 15, who lives in Calumet Park, and hopes someday to become a dentist. “I believe education is important. I want to go to college, and to go to college, I have to finish high school.”

“I was so overwhelmed with joy and excitement,” said Deior Toney, 17, of Woodlawn. “I felt good about myself. It was a big accomplishment for me.”

Dozier sees the Half Cap celebration as symbolic of a turnaround at Fenger.

“I’ve only been here 19 months, and this was our first time doing it,” she said. “It was nice. We had parents, community members. Everybody stood up when the kids marched in. I got up and spoke about how they need to never give up, to be persistent and to be an advocate for themselves.”

Lloyd Bachrach spoke at both Fenger and Paul Robeson high schools’ Half Cap ceremonies this year.

“My story is about overcoming challenges and obstacles,” said Bachrach. “I was born missing numerous bones in my legs, and halfway into my explanation of my disability, I remove my artificial limbs and show them how I can get around without my prosthetics. I tell them we are all faced with challenges, with obstacles.”

That we are. All of us. Some lack limbs, some lack encouragement, others lack compassion and are hot to reflexively dismiss the struggles of children. I am certain that a number of readers will brush this aside with: Isn’t the absolute necessity of graduation from high school motivation enough? Isn’t the certainty that their children will be utterly screwed in life if they don’t get a high school diploma sufficient to make any parent ride herd on them for four years?

In a word: No. Parents should be the primary monitors and motivators of their children. That’s the educational ideal; well, that along with a pony. But stand by for a bulletin: We don’t always get the ideal, and then what should society do? The reason the Right sits around sneering and quaffing contempt is because it numbs them to the plight of other people, whom they might otherwise feel inclined to think charitable thoughts toward or, God forbid, spend money to help. You can use people’s misfortune to feel better about yourself, dust your hands, condescend and let the next generation take a crack at it. Or you can try to fix things. In my view, as modified by Elizabeth Dozier, if Half Cap ceremonies keep one kid in school, they’re worth the effort.