Every year, graduation season reminds me why I fell in love with community journalism in the first place and why today I often go to extremes to make sure that at least in one place, it’s continuing strong in a modern way.
This week, I had the privilege of attending and helping cover the graduation ceremonies of Vista del Lago High School, Folsom High School, Cordova High School and Folsom Lake College. Like I have for many years, I was right there among the proud families, graduates, teachers and school staff who gathered to celebrate one of life’s most important milestones. While documenting the ceremonies for Folsom Times, I listened to student speakers reflect on their journeys, watched diplomas handed out and witnessed another generation take its first steps into a new chapter of life.
As I moved between ceremonies, listened to speeches and watched the celebrations unfold throughout the week, I found myself reflecting on something that has been on my mind for a very long time.
Many of these moments simply aren’t covered anymore.
When I first entered the newspaper business decades ago, graduation season was one of the most important assignments of the year. Community newspapers devoted pages to local graduations. There were photographs, feature stories, student profiles and extensive coverage of ceremonies. Families bought extra copies of the paper. Parents clipped stories and tucked them away in scrapbooks. Grandparents mailed them to relatives across the country. Years later, graduates would often stumble across those stories and photographs and be instantly transported back to one of the most important days of their lives.
Those stories mattered because they preserved a moment that could never be recreated.
Over the course of my journalism career, I have covered thousands of stories. I’ve spent late nights at accident scenes, stood behind fire lines, covered elections, city council meetings, major developments, community celebrations and some unforgettable high school football games. I’ve witnessed communities come together during triumphs and tragedies alike. Yet through all of those years, few assignments have remained as meaningful to me as covering local graduations.
Over the years, however, I watched this type of coverage slowly begin to disappear. Newsrooms got smaller. Budgets tightened. Community pages shrank. Staff positions vanished. As the economics of local news changed, many organizations were forced to make difficult decisions. Unfortunately, some of the first things to disappear were the very stories that connected newspapers to the communities they served.
I understood the challenges because I lived through them. What I never understood was the idea that these moments somehow stopped mattering.
Because they didn’t. If anything, they matter more than ever.
A graduation ceremony is not just another event on a community calendar. Behind every diploma is a story. Some students arrive at graduation after years of academic success and achievement. Others overcome challenges that few people ever see. Some balanced jobs while attending school. Some faced personal hardships, family struggles, health challenges or financial obstacles. Others became the first members of their families to earn a diploma or degree. Every graduate has a different story, but they all share one thing in common: they worked hard to reach that moment.
To me, that deserves recognition.
In many ways, that belief became one of the driving forces behind the creation of Folsom Times. When Adam Frick and I launched this publication, we believed there was still tremendous value in celebrating local accomplishments and telling local stories. We believed community milestones mattered. We believed families still cared about seeing the achievements of their children, grandchildren, neighbors and friends recognized. Most importantly, we believed the young people who work so hard to earn these milestones deserved more than a passing mention before the world moved on to the next headline.
The response from our readers over the years has proven that belief was correct.
Today, Folsom Times reaches and incredible amount of readers each month, but one of the things that still makes me proudest is the way our community responds to stories about local people. Whether it is a student accomplishment, a youth sports championship, a community volunteer effort or a graduation ceremony, people still care deeply about the successes of those around them. Despite everything that has changed in media, that fundamental truth remains the same.
That commitment is why graduation coverage remains such an important part of what we do. It is why we continue to dedicate significant resources to these ceremonies. It is why we send photographers, write detailed stories and make every effort to capture the moments families will cherish for years to come. In fact, graduation week at Folsom Times is truly an all-hands-on-deck effort. Adam Frick and I are out there ourselves covering ceremonies, taking photographs, livestreaming events and helping make sure these milestones are documented for future generations.
Over the years, people have occasionally asked me why the owners of the company are still out there carrying cameras, setting up equipment and covering events personally. The answer is simple: because we want to be. You cannot cover a community from a distance and expect to build meaningful relationships with it. You have to be part of it. You have to show up. You have to be present during the moments that matter.
And graduation week is one of those moments.
That commitment extends beyond the stories and photographs. It is also why we continue livestreaming these ceremonies each year. This week alone, thousands of people tuned in to watch our graduation broadcasts. Some were local residents who couldn’t attend because seating was limited. Others were grandparents unable to travel. Some were family members serving in the military. Others were friends and relatives living in different states or countries.
As we monitored the broadcasts, we saw viewers tuning in from places as far away as Italy and Australia.
When you stop and think about that, it is pretty remarkable. A grandmother halfway around the world can watch her grandchild walk across a stage in Folsom in real time. A family member stationed overseas can witness a milestone they otherwise might have missed. A homebound resident can still celebrate alongside loved ones despite not being able to attend in person. Technology has changed how we deliver the stories, but it has not changed why we tell them. At its best, local journalism connects people. It brings communities together. It preserves memories that matter.
This year’s graduation season also came with an additional challenge for me personally: a fractured ankle.
The timing, quite frankly, could not have been worse.
As a school photographer, graduation season is one of the busiest and most meaningful times of the year. It is the culmination of countless hours spent documenting students as they grow, learn, compete, perform and prepare for the next chapter of their lives. Being there to capture graduation day is more than just another assignment. It is an opportunity to preserve a moment that students and families will remember forever.
This year, however, I found myself approaching graduation week with an ankle brace (not to be confused with an ankle monitor), along with some fairly restrictive doctor’s orders that basically translated to: “Don’t be stupid… or at least don’t be too stupid.”
Graduation week requires a tremendous amount of movement. There are football fields to cross, stadium stairs to climb, camera equipment to carry and long hours spent on your feet. In other words, graduation week involves just about everything a doctor would tell you not to do while recovering from an ankle injury.
Several people suggested I take it easy, and they were probably right. The problem was that graduation season doesn’t exactly pause for orthopedic convenience. These ceremonies happen once. There are no do-overs. There is no replay next week. There is no opportunity to recreate the moment when a student walks across the stage to receive a diploma.
So I did what any stubborn community journalist would probably do. I strapped on the brace, grabbed the cameras and limped my way through graduation week.
I’ll admit there were moments when I questioned the wisdom of that decision while navigating another football field or climbing another set of stadium stairs. By the end of the week, I had developed a newfound appreciation for ankle braces, golf carts and ibuprofen. I also discovered that stadium stairs seem considerably taller when you’re trying to tackle them on one good ankle.
But every time I looked around and saw families cheering, graduates celebrating and proud parents wiping away tears, I was reminded why it was worth it.
In a funny way, perseverance became one of the themes of the week. The graduates had spent years overcoming obstacles to reach their moment. The least I could do was survive a few ceremonies on a less-than-perfect ankle.
As I listened to the student speakers throughout the week, another thought kept coming back to me. Every generation faces challenges. Every generation encounters uncertainty, setbacks and obstacles. Yet every year, another group of young adults steps forward ready to take on whatever comes next. They leave high school and college equipped with new knowledge, new experiences and new opportunities. There is something incredibly hopeful about watching that happen.
In a world where so much attention is focused on division, conflict and negativity, graduation ceremonies offer a reminder that there is still plenty worth celebrating. There are young people working hard. There are families making sacrifices. There are teachers investing in future generations. There are communities that still come together to cheer for the success of others.
To the Class of 2025, congratulations.
Whether your next chapter leads you to a university campus, a community college, military service, a trade, the workforce or an opportunity you have not yet imagined, know that your community is proud of you. You earned this moment through hard work, perseverance and determination. Take time to celebrate it. Appreciate those who helped you along the way. Remember where your story began, but never stop looking forward to where it can take you next.
As for me, graduation week once again reinforced why these ceremonies remain among my favorite assignments of the year. They remind me why local journalism matters. They remind me why Folsom Times exists. And they remind me that some stories are worth telling no matter how much work it takes to tell them.
My ankle will heal. The soreness will fade. The photographs will remain.
Years from now, when these graduates look back at the stories, images and memories from this week, I hope they will know that their community was cheering for them every step of the way.
And if there’s one final lesson I learned during graduation week, it’s that perseverance comes in all forms.
Thankfully, they received diplomas. I got an ankle brace. I’d say they got the better deal, but it’s still better than an ankle monitor.
Bill Sullivan is the co-owner/publisher of Folsom Times, a digital product of All Town Media LLC operated in Folsom, California.
