Mount St. Mary Academy puts on special graduation ceremony for senior

LITTLE ROCK, Ark – The school year is coming to an end, and for seniors that means prom, honor award ceremonies, and graduation. These special moments are something one senior thought she was going to have to miss.

As the clock ticks closer to dismissal, Peyton Lasseigne sifts through her locker one last time.

"I’m going to miss some of my teachers and seeing my friends consistently,” Lasseigne said.

Seniors at Mount St. Mary Academy are preparing for graduation, a special moment that until last week, wasn’t on Peyton’s agenda.

"I guess I was just going to get my certificate mailed to me, but I wasn’t going to go to the ceremony or anything,” Lasseigne said.

The teenager is on the Autism spectrum and big events like this would cause sensory overload.

"Whether it was walking across the big stage at graduation or going to prom, or going to a pep rally, it wasn’t about me, it was about what Peyton wanted and what made Peyton happy,” Peyton’s mom Kelly Lasseigne said.

The momentous occasion was going to be missed, but then there was a change in schedule.

"We reached out to her mom, and we were like hey what do you think about just doing a private ceremony?" Sarah Jones, Head of School for Mount St. Mary Academy said.

Surrounded by her closest friends and family, Peyton got her moment this week.

"It just showed Peyton that there are people in the world that do appreciate you and will do things to help you throughout your life,” Kelly Lasseigne said.

Moments are marked and a chapter ends, but these lessons will go with Peyton long after she walks out these doors.

"Be who you are, do what you need to do, and people will love you and support you,” Kelly Lasseigne stated.

Even though she has officially graduated, Peyton says she is finishing out her last few days at school with her friends.

from KARK https://ift.tt/eakhSfY