Graduation should provide tribute

Megan Lucas was surely missed on Saturday.The teenager would have graduated with her senior class last weekend, had her life not been tragically taken in an automobile accident on Interstate 71 last year.Instead, seniors provided a tasteful, appropriate tribute to Megan’s life at Saturday’s commencement exercise to remember the girl who would not walk on stage to receive her diploma. While the moment was solemn, the day’s events remained joyous.Tributes like these in past years have been noticeably absent in Oldham County graduation ceremonies. For what reason, we’re not sure — except that maybe the goal in mind was to make the day positive and not focus on the pain involved with losing a classmate and friend.Inevitably, though, these students are going to be thinking about the friends they’ve lost as they’re celebrating this momentous occasion in their lives. It seems only fitting that they should be able to pay tribute to those friends as they prepare to move on to the next stage.School officials should be applauded for allowing students to have this free expression. It’s a policy we hope they always continue to enforce.

The views expressed in this editorial are endorsed by the five members of The Oldham Era’s editorial board.