Wow, what a busy time the last couple weeks have been with four graduations on the same day, state tennis, state track and state golf. I finally have updated with seven photos. This one didn’t run in the paper cause you can’t see any rain for the weather story that ran today (5/24/08), but when I was under the flooded Sycamore Street underpass looking for something different, these three kids came walking through. Didn’t work for the story, but I like it anyway.

Too much rain in too short a time usually floods the underpasses in Grand Island. I was coming back from another assignment when the skies opened up and checked to see if the underpass was flooded. Not only was this the case, but a car was also stuck on the bottom. Obviously, not a good day for the driver of the car. Heavy rain on Friday (5/23/08) afternoon floods many streets and forces the closing of the Eddy and Sycamore Street underpasses in Grand Island. One car sits at the bottom of the flooded Eddy Street underpass as a police officer waits with the car’s driver.

I saw this young man practicing of to the side of the track at state track, and his bright green mohawk caught my attention. I tried to use the light to accentuate his hair while contrasting the red of the starting blocks and track behind him. I like the different and arty composition. While state track athletes cannot wear any type of jewelry or risk disqualification, some athletes, including Juan Johnson of Omaha Benson, did sport a mohawk haircut to stand out. Johnson, whose green ‘do is seen as he warms up with a starting block, went on to finish second in the 100-meter high hurdles.

This photo, and the one above and below ran on our Saturday (5/24/08) “Your Life” photo page. We didn’t run the photo the next day, partly because the lad who lost (right) is from our area and the other chap who won is not. Glad we could publish it though, as the reactions of the two boys are quite dramatic and opposite.  The good news for the Osceola boy is that second at state is pretty darn good, plus he has two more years to win gold before he graduates. Maywood’s Ryan Hazen (left) celebrates after winning the Class D boys 3,200-meter run during Friday’s session. Osceola’s Anthony Cliffords (right), who led most of the race, finished in second place after being passed by Hazen on the last lap.

I saw this girl having fun with other volunteers and moved in before she saw me. She looked up at me just as I started taking a few frames. At first I thought “Oh well,” cause I usually don’t like “non-portraits” where the person is looking in the camera. But after looking at the photo during editing, her smile and expression added to the sense of fun more than if she was looking away I think. State track volunteer and Burke High student Maria Garcia playfully sits in a basket used to carry contestants’ clothing to the finish line from the starting line.

I like the emotion on the kids faces, and the feeling of freedom associated with graduation. As I heard the buzz go up and down the line, “Let do the wave,” I found a good spot and hoped for the best as I waited for the tide to roll in. As the Grand Island Senior High graduation candidates line up for the processional portion of the school’s graduation ceremony, “the wave” moves down the line picking up (from left) Vanessa Gauthier, Hannah Gappa, Jessica Garcia and Megan Gangwish in its wake at the Heartland Events Center in Grand Island.

As Grand Island Senior High graduating seniors line up for the processional into the Heartland Events Center, one girl let her feet rest for a while, leaving her shoes to keep her place in line. Not sure why I like this photo, but I do. It’s just quirky and fun.

Another photo taken that has nothing really to do with the event I was covering, just a fun photo of a young boy having fun after sitting through a graduation ceremony. Ah, the simple things. After Saturday’s Central Community College graduation at Grand Island Senior High, Kahne Rempe, 4, of Hastings has fun jumping from one stair to the next in the school’s main gym. Rempe’s grandmother, Janet Rempe, participated in the graduation ceremony.

Hard to go wrong with a pie-throwing contest. What an expression. As the wall behind her portrays the peril of previous pies, Dodge Elementary counselor Henri Glatter screams as yet another pie is thrown at her at the pie throwing station during the school’s field day on Thursday. As school winds to a close, the field day provided students an opportunity to play outside on a beautiful day while competing in various races and at 21 skill stations.

There’s just something about a cowboy hat that looks cool. Plus, I like the way the boy’s hat and rope fall in the shadow and really jump out as a result. Centura student Nolan Wetzel practices his roping skills during the Centura FFA’s annual Barnyard event.