No one cheered when Jack Higgins graduated high school.
And believe it or not, that’s a good thing.
High school graduations are one of the most joyous events you could attend, but this one in particular, made us smile.
Students at Carmel High School got their opportunity to don their gowns and caps with 2,200 people in attendance at the school gymnasium.
The dozens of family members and friends are used to cheering for the graduates — something which can get rather loud — but when the recent set to matriculants ascended the stage, you could have heard a pin drop.
Jack has autism and is particularly sensitive to noise, often wearing earplugs to make it more bearable.
His parents, who wanted their child to enjoy the milestone moment of receiving his diploma after taking 8 years to graduate, approached the school’s principal who engineered it so Jack could participate.
“At graduation, the student body and several thousand individuals were asked to not clap or cheer so Jack could participate — and what followed was nothing short of a miracle,” said headmaster Lou Riolo. “We shot for the moon but instead reached the stars.”
We think that deserves a silent round of applause.
