Graduation Day

Aug. 26 - School begins Sept. 2 - Labor Day - schools closed Oct. 11th 2 1/2 hour early dismissal No afternoon kindergarten No school for pre-K students Oct. 18 Association day - no school Nov. 4 Professional day - no school Nov. 5 - Election Day - no school Nov. 8 No school for pre-K students Nov. 18 Professional day for elementary students only Students in grades 6-12...

HAGERSTOWN -- The photograph is faded and torn, the result of being folded and stored in a wallet for the past 41 years. But Jeff Trebel considers it one of his most precious possessions. It's a photo of his brother, Michael, taken on his graduation day in 1968. One year later, he was dead. Losing a loved one never is easy, Jeff Trebel conceded. But it's even more difficult when the loss occurs thousands of miles away -- in a jungle, in the mud, in a war. The Hagerstown man said he was 15 years old when the family received word that Michael, serving with the U.S. Army, had been killed in Vietnam.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- Friends of William Kiel Bobbitt were turning to social-networking site Facebook.com to leave memorials remembering the 19-year-old Greencastle man after his death last week. Some made arrangements to take their final exams early in order to attend services Tuesday and Wednesday in the Greencastle area. "There's been tons of his friends and kids coming out here," said Tony Bobbitt, father of the young man known as Kiel. The family planned to go to California University of Pennsylvania today to pick up the 2007 Greencastle-Antrim High School graduate's belongings and visit the coroner's office there.

By RICHARD F. BELISLE Staff Writer FORT LITTLETON, Pa. -- The kids lined up like tin soldiers, shoulder to shoulder, eyes straight ahead, white t-shirts bright in Friday's late morning sun, contrasting against the muddy splotches on their black shorts. The mud, splashed up from running through the woods in tight squad formation, is a badge of honor earned during Camp Cadet. It's been held every year since 1995 at Camp Sinoquipe Boy Scout camp. Camp Cadet is a week of military orientation, inspections, drills, lectures and programs for 40 students,12 to 15 years old, from all three Fulton County school districts.

Charles Frisby used to talk to his daughter, Kasandra, about what her high school graduation day would be like, how excited she would be. Kasandra Frisby said she was excited Friday morning as she prepared for the North Hagerstown High School graduation ceremony. She also was a bit stressed, but she couldn't share any of those emotions with her father Friday because he died April 27 of a massive heart attack at age 47. Kasandra, 17, of Hagerstown, said she got through the hard time, buckling down to finish her senior year, with the support of family and friends.

ST. JAMES - It has survived the Civil War, 283 years and thousands of students - students who were taught to respect it. The tulip poplar on the grounds of Saint James School south of Hagerstown is considered one of the oldest in Maryland and was declared one of the state's bicentennial trees in 1976, said Ted Camp, chairman of the school's history department and the school's archivist. The tree stands - with wires supporting some major branches - within Center Circle, a circular section of grass surrounded by a driveway.

Once spring rolls around, it's perfectly normal for high school seniors to start looking forward to breaking free of the chains that have bound them for so long - yes, the education system. Graduation day is like Independence Day for those in 12th grade. Those of us who've been there remember it well. You're so ready to put the daily grind of high school behind you that you can't see how easy you really have it. The seniors at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa., haven't had it so easy the last 10 days, though, and that group of students is probably thinking that its Independence Day can't get here soon enough.

Click here to view and/or purchase photos. HAGERSTOWN - When Kayla Neff's son asked her why he should stay in school, she didn't hesitate with her answer. It's important to finish school, she told him. It's important to graduate, she said. "He didn't like school at first, and he brought up that I didn't graduate," Neff said of her 5-year-old, William. That was enough to send the 24-year-old back to school for her degree. Neff graduated Sunday along with 51 others also receiving their GEDs at Hagerstown Community College's Athletic, Recreation and Community Center.

When the United States became embroiled in the Civil War 150 years ago, people such as farmers, schoolteachers and business owners were caught in the chaos. Saint James School was not immune from the ravages of the war, according to Ted Camp, who talks about the school being in the middle of “Route 1 of the Civil War,” in the path of retreats from major battles, including those at Antietam and Gettysburg. One of the times Saint James School found itself in the middle was in 1863, after the Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., when Union troops were pursuing Confederate troops and both sides reached the Episcopal boarding school five miles southwest of Hagerstown, according to Camp, who is chairman of the school’s history and religion department.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - About 130 Chambersburg Area Senior High School students walked out of their school Thursday morning to protest a decision to move their graduation inside to the school gymnasium. They also circulated petitions and presented them to administrators. The decision to move the commencement exercises inside was made because the bleachers in 6,500-seat Trojan Stadium have been declared unsafe by school officials. Trojan Stadium was closed last month after a bleacher floorboard broke.