eighth grade graduation

My second oldest grandchild graduated from eighth grade at a beautiful ceremony this evening.  She has been attending a Catholic school for the last several years so it was a very religious event which included mass, but no less impressive for that. On a purely practical note I appreciated how the 93 graduates processed in. They walked in one at a time, spaced out about six feet apart, so no need to walk in sync with someone else. They also walked briskly without a hint of the hesitation step that I remember with some embarrassment. During practice for my high school graduation I was shouted at by our principal (in front of the whole class) for starting on my right foot instead of my left as we had just been instructed. I've always had a problem with left and right. I and the tallest boy in the class were leading the procession which made my error even more obvious. I guess we were first in so we would be in the back row up on stage. (I was always in the back row in any group event where pictures were taken.) I am happy to report that, on the actual night of graduation, I managed to get it right, that is left. Would they have refused to give me my diploma if I hadn't? Who knows? It seemed like an awfully serious business at the time.