Graduation 2011

A week after graduating from Myers Park High, Priyang Shah earned a debate championship at the National Forensic League tournament in Dallas.

Conventional wisdom says Danquirs Franklin should be a high school dropout by now.

At first, Tamica Stubbs didn't know what to think about the two brothers in her biology class.

The day after Tony Bo's father died, his mother brought a suit out of their bedroom for the funeral director. Tony had never seen the suit. He'd only seen his father dressed up that way once before.

It all started with the History Channel, Zach Thompson says.

Excited. Nervous. Happy. Sad. High school is a mix of those emotions, and they all come together at graduation.

Nobody will enjoy walking across the stage, receiving a diploma, and hearing the cheers of family and friends more than McKinnon Galloway.

No noisemakers, no balloons, no flowers -- and, hopefully, no trouble.

High school commencement exercises in the region:

First in a series: David Rashidi doesn't remember exactly when he discovered the tree outside his high school classroom.

The 10 students picked as Seniors of the Year in The Charlotte Observer's 2011 All-Star Scholars program will move on to prestigious universities, and they're doing it with a sense of caution, gratitude and responsibility.