The Best Graduation Gifts

By Holly E. Newton

The end of the school year connotes graduation time, celebrating many different levels of school completions. Books, as always, are the perfect gift and help commemorate this important event in a young person¹s life. Here is a list of some outstanding picture books celebrating the graduate.

For the younger reader celebrating a change in schools, here is a simple tale about judgment.

Zen Shorts, by widely acclaimed author Jon J. Muth, is a story that involves three tales. Three children become friends with a giant panda. He imparts a clever story for each child. One of the tales expertly demonstrates how we need to forgive. A young monk criticizes an older monk for carrying an unappreciative traveler over rain puddles, as he says, "She didn't even thank you!" The wise older man replies, "I set the woman down hours ago." The older monk was able to forgive and forget, while the young monk was still learning this lesson of forgiveness.

Another perfect book for the younger child is This Little Light of Mine. This picture book is based on the familiar song of the same title and is illustrated beautifully by the acclaimed E. B. Lewis. The words of the song describe how the light from within will shine on and on. But, the pictures tell much, much more. A young boy sees another youngster sitting alone, appearing dejected as he is slumped with his head in his hands. As the song progresses throughout the book, the boy invites the sad fellow to join his friends and before long a smile shines through the sad face. This book will surely strike a chord with all ages!

Sometimes it's the wordless books that seem to have the greatest message. Home, by Jeannie Baker, shows the progress of life through an open window. Ms. Baker has small remnants of a girl's life on the windowsill, displaying her growth though the years. For instance, the book begins with congratulations for the birth of a baby girl. Through the window, you see the proud parents in their back yard holding this new baby. There are older looking vehicles on the street beyond the yard. Several pages later, there's the girl as a teen putting makeup on in a mirror that's sitting on the windowsill. Beyond the yard is a full garden and beyond that newer looking cars on the street. There's much to observe and reflect on one's own growth throughout the years.

Sometimes biographies are the perfect inspiration for graduates. Walt Whitman: Words for America, by Barbara Kerley, is a look into the life of one of America's best and most famous poets. His poetry reflected the feelings of our country during the tumultuous Civil War. I found it fascinating that when Walt was young, he loved words and loved to read. He was always writing down feelings and expressions in his little notebook. In the Author¹s Note located in the back of the book, he states that when he was eleven years old, he was given a library card. Later he added, it was ³...the signal event of my life up to that time." Brian Selznick beautifully illustrated the pictures throughout the book, and he studied many historical documents and locations to accurately reconstruct this amazing poet¹s life.

Here is a perfect companion to Walt Whitman¹s biography. When I Heard the Learn¹d Astronomer is a wonderfully illustrated book by Loren Long, based on Walt Whitman¹s famous poem. This poem celebrates the amazing imagination that is budding in all of us. The incredible pictures take you to a young boy's experience as he ponders life and the stars, ³In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.²

Mother Teresa, by award winning Demi, is an inspirational account of one humble woman serving those much less fortunate and extremely poor. This incredible woman gave all that she had throughout her life. Included here is wisdom that we can glean from her: ³Life Is An Opportunity --Avail It. Life Is Beautiful --Admire It. Life Is A Challenge --Meet It. Life Is Costly --Care For It. Life Is A Promise --Fulfill It. Life Is Sorrow --Overcome It. Life Is Too Precious --Do Not Destroy It.²

And lastly, here's a book celebrating and exploring the endless possibilities of life. Imagine a Day, by Sarah L. Thompson, and creatively illustrated by Rob Gonsalves, will spark your imagination --beyond imagination. ³Imagine a day Š when a book swings open on silent hinges, and a place you've never seen before welcomes you here.² Give a great gift to your graduate. Give a book to inspire, motivate and celebrate!

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1. http://www.postsecondary.org/ti/ti_38.asp
... The Impact of Financial Aid on College Retention for Minority ... Rates 1983 to 2003 ACT National Graduation Rates 1983 to 2003 Institutional Graduation Rate for 1985 Entering Cohorts ...

2. U.S. Department of Labor - Find It By Topic - Youth & Labor - Resources ...
... employment rate, high school graduation rate, and college enrollment rate in six Native American, six ... ... on This Topic Americorps The Corporation for National Service is the domestic version of the Peace ...
http://www.dol.gov/dol/to ...or/StudentWorkers.htm

3. The Black Commentator - Cover Story: Blacks Pushed Down and Out - Issue 134
... being Left Behind by the Graduation Rate Crisis. The report ... 2 points behind. Thus, the national educational self-image, in ... out of high school, and where college is the norm, is false for all ...
http://www.blackcommentat ..._blacks_down_out.html

4. Loans - College Graduates Witness Loan Rate Increas...
http://www.online-loan-re ...sletters/issue17.html

5. 2003-04 YES National Winners
... Yuguan "Bailey" Shen National Finalist - $15,000 ... the expected mortality rate in the following year ... high school graduation in 2005, Bailey is ... Copyright © by College Entrance Examination ...
http://www.collegeboard.com/yes/fs/winners04.html

6. News Release 10/2005: Community College Leadership Program receives $3.7 mil...
... rate October 6, 2005 AUSTIN, TexasThe Community College ... states. Part of a 10-partner national initiative called Achieving ... student retention and graduation rates. Participating ...
http://www.utexas.edu/opa ...5/10/education06.html

7. The Status of Kentucky Women in Higher Education
... educational attainment is the rate at which students enter ... semester following their graduation from high school.(7) In ... low college-bound rates. A series of national surveys ...
http://www.kltprc.net/books/women/Chpt_8.htm

8. http://www.wm.edu/ir/
... of the College. Read more about Institutional Research... New - National Graduation Rate Rankings... Mailing Address: The College of William and Mary Office of Institutional Research P.O. Box 8795 ...

9. OELMA State Report: News You Can Use
... High School Graduation Rate Hard to Calculate 2/19 ... according to a new national study of teachers ... for passing the Ohio Graduation Tests (OGTs) Monday ... on easing the path for college-educated ...
http://www.oelma.org/news/default.asp

10. Community News Project
... year after graduation, or in their lifetime). I found one article in the Chicago Sun Times ('Something is screwy,' principals say of 47% college rate, on May 9, 2005) that stated a national rate of 64 ...
http://www.activeboard.co ...ID=4213502&topicPage=

11. Bates College | National Rankings
... for study abroad. Bates ranks 18th among national liberal arts colleges in U.S. News and World ... ... rate of 94% and a six-year graduation rate of 89%. The College ranks 19th in the "alumni giving ...
http://www.bates.edu/national-rankings.xml

12. President Henderson's 2005 State of the University Address :: Point Park Uni...
... of U.S. students who start college complete within six years.¬ ... is just slightly below this national graduation benchmark, in ... which means that our graduation rate will soon increase. ¬We ...
http://www.pointpark.edu/default.aspx?id=1769

13. Higher Education
... Source: NCAA as cited in Graduation Rates Up for Basketball ... HORST ap 6/28/96 Ranked by rate Freshmen entering in 1989 ... nytimes.com/library/national/120998blacks-college-guide.html ...
http://www.arthurhu.com/index/acollege.htm

14. The PIQE mission is
... is 53.2% Latino//Hispanic High School graduation rate in California is 57% Latino//Hispanic High School graduation rate in San Diego City is 47% The national average for College enrollment among High ...
http://www.piqe.org/Assets/SpecialPrj/PiqeSDSU.htm

15. In science and math, our kids need to step it up
... that 48.8 percent of Seattle's 25-and-older population has at least a bachelor's degree, compared with a national college graduation rate of 25.9 percent. But this survey includes many state residents ...
http://seattlepi.nwsource .../172831_teched11.html

16. California Capitol Hill Bulletin - Volume 11, Bulletin 17 -- May 20, 2004
... Also, six states with high percentages of college graduates were also among the states with the ... ... by San Francisco with 47.8%. The national graduation rate was 25.9%. The ACS also surveyed 231 ...
http://www.calinst.org/bulletins/b1117.htm

17. Colleges Sharpen Focus on Freshmen (washingtonpost.com)
... the attention of experts looking for ways to improve what they consider a feeble national college graduation rate barely above 50 percent. Science instructor Sonia Eley, left, tutors Latoya Stephen ...
http://www.washingtonpost .../A26230-2005Apr4.html

18. Kerry says he'll boost college grad rate - Politics - MSNBC.com
... executive director of National Association of ... minority enrollment in college. He would require ... that increase graduation rates of low-income ... at or below the rate of inflation for two ...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5325437/

19. Athletic Director Joe Gottfried
... Education which published the National Graduation Rate of Student ... the USA program had a 82% graduation rate for 150 student-athletes ... been recognized in the Ashland College Hall of Fame and was inducted ...
http://www.southalabama.e ...tment/gottfried.shtml

20. Free college graduation announcement - free-college-graduation-announcement....
... personal care products you'll find, from heart rate monitors, nutritional announcement graduation ... ... Free college graduation announcement "Wi-Fi") technology is both cool and empowering. National ...
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21. Meet Our Staff
... Clinical Placement Post Graduation Services the NCM does not ... Bulletin Board Downloads National College of Midwifery, 209 State ... seemed to incur a high rate of complications. In 1977, she ...
http://www.midwiferycollege.org/staff.html

22. 1999 October
... October 8, 1999 SDSM&T Graduates Report 90% Placement Rate Within 6 Months of Graduation - October 12, 1999 SDSM&T Recognizes National College Awareness Week October 18-24 - October 13, 1999 SDSM&T ...
http://www.hpcnet.org/sdsmt/SiteID=112917

23. The National Air Transportation Foundation - Aviation College Decision
... subject required for graduation. What its academic ... for an upcoming National Intercollegiate ... must work full time, a college degree is not out of ... and many have first-rate aviation programs ...
http://www.nata.aero/about/collegedecision.jsp

24. Counsumer Debt Counseling | National Foundation For Debt Management | Colleg...
... their loans prior to graduation locked in a rate of 2.875%. Over a ... largest expenditures of recent college graduates. Non Profit Debt ... Debt Consolidation Service National Foundation For Credit ...
http://lifeinsuranceterm. ...r-debt-counseling.htm

25.
... compressors Job Description: National company is seeking a ... more than 2 jobs since college graduation. Job Title:Sales Rep ... Permanent Salary or Hourly Rate: Hardware/Software ...
http://www.proalt.com/employment.asp

26. The Daily Texan
... date that you book the flight, the better rate you'll get, so flexibility in your schedule is ... ... career money graduation Moving lifestyle travel gradschool National College Advertising and ...
http://www.dailytexanonli ...ame=story&storyID=196

27. The Cincinnati Post - NKU efforts elevate graduation rate
... had the lowest graduation rate of any of the state's eight public universities. Only 33 percent of NKU students graduated within six years of starting college, the national standard timeline ...
http://news.kypost.com/ap ...NEWS02/509290384/1014

28. 2004 graduates' employment rate exceeds national average - William Mitchell ...
... within nine months of graduation and more than 65 percent ... graduating, according to the National Association for Law ... at the college. Our strong employment rate indicates the ...
http://www.wmitchell.edu/ ...+over+90+percent.html

29. NORTHERN KENTUCKY TECHNICAL COLLEGE
... Technical College. Graduation. March 4 - 4, 2005 ... KY. ... 35), National College of Business ... Southern Ohio College, Northern Kentucky ... 4] Refinance mortgage rate calculator Discount ...
http://northern1.coleg.net/

30. Chron.com | Most students going into hock for college
... into hock for college Average debt after graduation is more than $19,000 ... into hock for ...
http://www.chron.com/disp ...opolitan/3924381.html

31. Dr.Dangs lab
... the alarming rate of cancer incidence in the Indian population. After receiving a degree in medicine from Calcutta National Medical College, Dr. Sen did his post graduation from PGIMER ...
http://www.drdangslab.com/doctors.asp

32. national graduation rates
... figures & By comparison, the study said the national graduation rate was 71 percent and 34 percent of all students graduated with qualifications for college. & Directory Links illinois mortgage rates ...
http://www.johnstonsc.org ...graduation-rates.html

33. Herald.com | 10/16/2005 | We must do better, and we can't wait
... dropout rate, our frequently uncompetitive teacher salaries, our lower-than-the-national-average college-graduation rate -- and the up to 30 percent of this country's children who start formal school ...
http://www.miami.com/mld/ .../opinion/12904406.htm

34. refdesk.com - Reference Site of the Day Archive
... 1.) The national college graduation rate was 25.9 percent. 9/28/04 Power Trips Reforms in recent years have made many of the lush perks once enjoyed by Congress disappear. But not all, certainly not ...
http://www.refdesk.com/9-04rpd.html

35. College Stress - TotalLinker
... to find work upon graduation but are actively ... number of prestigious national and international ... University of Buffalo | RATE ME| BROKEN| The ... as a private medical college and merged with the ...
http://www.collegestress. ...ile=display&catnum=18

36. Bikini college girls
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37. The (New York) Statewide Plan for Higher Education 2004-2012
... initiatives to improve their graduation rates, a key indicator that ... have consistently returned to college from their freshman to ... year at a higher rate than the national average (in 2002, 7.3 ...
http://www.highered.nysed ...atewideplan/page2.htm

38. Northern california colleges
... nursing college increasing graduation rate and college or university ... collage nursing fellowship for college oracle crm charlotte2c nc ... courses from colleges national louis national college of ...
http://northern-california-colleges.tu.wielun.pl/

39. AFT - Higher Education - News - 2005 - Universities Share Grad Rate Successes
... institutions by launching a national graduation rate study of more than 100 institutions, seeking out more successful strategies and, as a consequence, more successful college graduates across the ...
http://www.aft.org/higher ...5/ed_trust_report.htm

40. The Chronicle: 2/25/2005: A Gentle Shove in the Direction of College
... data back from the National Student ... raise the college-going rate -- now at about 40 ... years. "Small-group college-access programs, if ... to go to work after graduation. But the college ...
http://chronicle.com/temp ...s01e9n90urzwmef02ureq

41. Siena College - About Siena
... in the top 15 nationally in two of the last three Division I National Graduation Rate Reports. Values play an integral role in college life at Siena, where education is not simply a means by which ...
http://www.siena.edu/About/AboutSiena.asp

42. NJC - Professional Certificate
... an "Early Discount" special rate. Q: What do I receive upon ... s) will be awarded at graduation upon completion of the ... for certification. 2003 © The National Judicial College | Webmaster
http://www.judges.org/courses/certificate/

43. A National Study on Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Youth wi...
... include: (a) increased dropout rate, particularly among minority ... due to its definition of graduation as earning a standard high ... more years of college or university training (National Center for ...
http://www.education.umn. ...ePubs/Technical36.htm

44. Welcome to DC Public Charter School Board
... rates of 90% - 100%; two had graduation rates of 86% - 87%; Four of ... college acceptance rate; two had 98%-99% college acceptance ... Schools that scored above the national average in reading, math or ...
http://www.dcpubliccharte ...tories/news05_sat.htm

45. Legal Degrees - Career Training Directory
... world jobs after graduation. More Information ... For over 100 years, National College of Business ... Minneapolis Business College prepares students for ... years. With a success rate of finding employment ...
http://www.careertrainingdirectory.com/legal/

46. Longwood University News Releases 2004
... Longwood's graduation rate better than similar schools, according to national survey Longwood ... ... Longwood SGA to host and co-sponsor statewide college SGA conference Longwood business honor society ...
http://www.longwood.edu/n ...ses/releases2005.html

47. Football Game Notes -- Boston College at Wake Forest :: Demon Deacons prepar...
... in all of college football. As a team, Wake Forest posted a graduation rate of 94 percent. The national average was 59 percent. Boston College, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State were also in ...
http://wakeforestsports.c ...ec-rel/092004aac.html

48. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) - Indicator 22: College Enro...
... 24-year-olds were enrolled in college. View Table Return to Top ... The Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate for Public High Schools ... Contact NCES| Site Index National Center for Education ...
http://nces.ed.gov/progra ....asp?PubPageNumber=22

49. National College of Naturopathic Medicine | An accredited private college in...
... fee 50% of the per credit rate ï Change of track fee $500 ... Grade change fee $10 each ï Graduation fee $100 (spring term ... the following signatures: College Advisor, Associate Program ...
http://www.ncnm.edu/acade ...inancial_policies.php

50. Mumbai Colleges, Colleges in Bombay, India, courses, colleges, college, degr...
... not complete their graduation or even high school ... University. 3. R.D. National. College life in ... Centers in Mumbai for college students... 1. Daksh ... courses. Our students rate our courses as the ...
http://www.saviodsilva.net/cm.htm

51. Southern Arizona Tech Council
... With a higher than national average graduation rate for students at both the high school and college/university level, our employment base addresses the needs of new and expanding businesses in ...
http://www.satc-az.com/st ...dex.cfm?contentID=711

52. Eduwonk.com
... item | Email this post Moving the Ball The National College Athletic Association Board of Directors ... ... the right direction from the current flawed graduation rate reporting. Update! Sally Jenkins is not ...
http://www.eduwonk.com/ar ...04_04_25_archive.html

53. Education Working Paper 8 | Public High School Graduation and College-Readin...
... to apply to a four-year college, many high school graduates are ineligible to enroll. Findings of the study include: The national high school graduation rate for all public school students ...
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_08.htm

54. Untitled Document
... in Switzerland after graduation, Meyers is back in ... from an Ivy League college suddenly makes the ... I heard about the National Collegiate Scouting ... satisfied customer) rate. We've given back $250 ...
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55. W E S T V I E W - Counseling
... Course request forms Graduation requirements Program change ... with 75% acceptance rate (PDF) PUSD college planning & ... University April 20 San Diego National College Fair Visits & ...
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