Friday, May 24, 2013

A Tale of Two Cities, part deux...

Just over a month ago, I posted a blog from Dublin, Ireland.  In that blog, I compared that city to Boston.  The two cities are very much different, but they share some commonality that I felt.  In many ways, I am going through those same sensations today.

This story starts early Thursday morning in a little town called Saugus, Massachusetts.  There, I awoke.  I met with two Saugus High School students at Boston's Logan Airport and we boarded our non-stop flight to LAX (By the way, the X does not have a meaning...they just needed a third letter for their airport designation).  The reason for our travel was highlighted earlier in this blog, but basically, we were invited our to witness the graduation of the Saugus High School Centurions from Saugus, California.  Gianna, Gillian, and I were excited, and a little nervous, when we first landed.  The girls picked out a nice Jeep for our rental car and we embarked on our journey.

The topography in southern California is very foreign to me, and while it looked really nice, we were stuck in our very first LA traffic jam.  It wasn't too bad and after about an hour, we made it to Valencia.

Here is a bit of a lesson:

Saugus, California is one of four municipalities that make up the City of Santa Clarita Valley. The oldest of these municipalities is Newhall.  It's named after Henry Newhall...a Saugonian from Massachusetts who traveled west and invested in purchasing land in the valley.  As his ranch grew, so did the population around him.  Two townships emerged, Newhall and Saugus.  As the population continued to grow two more townships emerged, Valencia and Canyon County.  These four townships, politically, are under the jurisdiction of Santa Clarita.  Traditionally, these towns have retained a sense of community.  The kids who go to Saugus High School in California are from Saugus.   Here endeth the lesson.

We met with Bill Bolde, the SHS principal, for lunch.  He brought with him several staff members and two members of their ASB.  The ASB is a form of Student School Government.  It's different that how we do things, but there are a lot of similarities.  While the adults and I enjoyed lunch and talked about what to expect at the graduation, the four girls began talking...and didn't stop.  It really seemed like they hit it off.

We left lunch and headed towards the College of the Canyons; it is a community college that hosts all of the graduations in the Santa Clarita Valley.  Bill explained where to park and what to expect later on.  The overall picture we had seen so far was very surreal.  There was a ton of Saugus stuff scattered about...but it was Blue and White.

After a brief rest at our hotel, we headed out for the graduation ceremony.  We met a ton of staff members who were all very friendly.  We joined the procession and led the graduates onto the field and we were provided seats of honor upon the staging.  Bill began the ceremony with some introductions and in his remarks he explained who we were...and why we were there.  He then informed the audience that he has never before invited dignitaries to share the podium with him during his introduction, and that we would be the first honorees to receive such an honor.  Bill presented us with the Order of Centurion Pride.  It is a 10 inch bust of a Roman Centurion and there is a wonderful inscription on it.  This symbol of friendship between our two schools will find a place of honor at Saugus High School in Saugus, Massachusetts.  After I said a few brief words of thanks, the graduation continued.  One of the highlights for us was when two graduating Centurions sang a powerful duet.  They were unbelievable!!!  After the students received their diplomas, and threw their caps into the air, the ceremony ended.  We met a few more staff members (including Kevin Millar's cousin) and were continuously impressed with how open and friendly they all were.

We headed back to the hotel, changed, and went out to explore just a little bit before bed.  We went to a convenience store and when I asked where we were, the clerk said, "Saugus."  It was really kind of cool.  We drove through Saugus, past their high school, and down there version of Route 1.  It was surreal.  That's the only word that truly explains it.

While I don't have pictures on this post, I hope to put some up later on tonight.  We are about to head out for breakfast at a place called the Saugus Cafe.  We are then headed to SHS for a tour and the opportunity to meet with students and staff.  It is our goal to build a stronger relationship between our two schools.

Mr. Lavoie, currently in Valencia, California...just a stone's throw away from Saugus.

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