An Odd Ceremony

Last spring semester I made the President's list at school. This means that I took fifteen credits or more and got a 3.8 GPA or higher. I guess I made the Dean's list as well, because to do that you have to take 15 or more credits and get a 3.5 or higher. So I got an email sometime last summer telling me congratulations, etc.
I kind of thought, Oh. Okay. Cool,  and promptly forgot about it.

Well, a couple weeks ago I got an email saying that I was invited to a "recognition reception" for students who had made the Dean's List or President's list.  I didn't think too much about it, but then I got another email, and a paper invitation in the mail. I wasn't too sure I wanted to go to some ceremony—although it is nice to be recognized. But finally I did RSVP that I would be going and taking my husband and a couple of kids.

The reception was tonight and, naturally, I am swamped with a ton of schoolwork so I really wondered if it would be worth the time it took to go to this thing. But we decided to go.

First of all, when I went to check in they didn't have me on their list. But the check-in lady said, "We believe you," and gave me my stuff and we went in to the assembly.

The first three or four speakers said something to the effect of, "Congratulations! You have made the Dean's list/President's list," and one of them explained what that meant; each of them briefly mentioned that we had worked hard to get there.

But they spent the most time telling us, basically, that we couldn't have done it without them. They told us how the administration makes it so we can do such great work. (Um, not so much.) They told us that we did so well because of our fantastic teachers. (That one I can agree with.) They told us we achieved because SLCC is such a great school. (Okay, whatever dudes.)  I was beginning to wonder if the reception was to recognize the Dean's list recipients or the college administration.

After all that, they told us about an Israeli man who has started a campaign of sorts. It started with a facebook post, and now he does TED Talks and goes around the world telling people about his idea. Basically he makes posters telling people who are supposed to be his enemies that he—or rather, his people—love them.  So something like a poster with a nice picture of nice people and a caption that says "Israel ♥ Iran."  And when he goes to speak somewhere I guess the people he talks to get in on the action and they make posters which he posts on his facebook page. After they told us about all of this they had us all stand up and hold up paper hearts so they could take a picture and post it on this guy's facebook page.

Huh??

Now I did not want to walk up in front of a group of people to receive an award; I really didn't. I didn't necessarily even want them to read my name from a list. But what on earth did that little demonstration have to do with anything?

Well, after they finished telling us how cool they were (and, oh yes, we did good work too), and after we posed for their little heart picture, we did have a pin ceremony. Bruce put a little pin on my shirt—one that they gave me before I entered the room, actually—and that was it. The student-body-president-elect stood up and told us what a great school it was, then another guy told us congratulations and please eat the rest of the refreshments. And they told us we could have a photo opportunity in front of  the Dean's list/President's list backdrop they'd put up. Not only that, but . . .  This is so awesome! . . . We could nab one of those amazing administrators (we'd recognize them by their corsages or boutonnieres) and we could have our picture taken with them!!! Yay!!!

It was an hour I could have spent doing a lot of better things. But, hey! I made the President's list last spring. Yay me.