'Let's go with it!'

Photo by Jennifer Leigh Russ

The day before graduation the class of 2022 gathered for the mandatory rehearsal. As these things go, the stage and chairs were all set up in the quiet high school gymnasium. The soon-to-be grads marched in, found their chairs, then stood for the National Anthem. From an overhead speaker a painfully tinny and static-pocked rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner shrieked from the PA system. After hearing this, Harrison interrupted the practice by raising his hand and asking out loud if he could just sing the thing. The school counselor, Troy, who was in charge of the event, waved me over and asked what I thought.

Harrison was the first documented student with autism to go through the entire system at Custer Custer School, from preschool through Kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school, and its first openly autistic cross-country and track athlete. The ceremony held a special significance for so many people — administrators, teachers, coaches, classmates, and especially his parents, myself and Mary. Not to mention this was an important milestone for the other 23 members of his graduating class as well. I told Troy it could add a really special touch to the ceremony — or it could go really badly if he botched it and melted down on stage. Countless public tantrums rushed through my mind.

After a pause for some thought I said, “I guess I'm willing to take the risk.”

The words were barely out of my mouth when Troy said: "Let's go with it!”

Though Harrison had sung the National Anthem several times with the choir for volleyball and basketball games, it had been a couple years since he’d done so. I knew the anthem is not especially easy to sing because of the extensive vocal range required. In the back of my mind there was the grim memory of a graduation ceremony he had disrupted with a meltdown as a member of the choir. On the other hand, Harrison possesses the rare ability for perfect pitch, and has an almost photographic memory of lyrics.

We went back home to prepare for the big day. Family and friends were arriving for the celebration. I insisted he practice the anthem a few times that evening. He seemed pretty comfortable singing to himself but I wondered how it would be in front of a crowd of several hundred people in the big gym. I knew I would not be able to relax until the anthem had been sung right down to “the home of the brave." I printed out the lyrics for him to have in hand in case of a brain lapse.

On the way to the ceremony the next morning we sang the anthem together in my truck. We both sang it perfectly, the way it always sounds in a vehicle, or the shower. I hoped he would do as well before an audience. I briefly entertained the notion of accompanying him on stage but quickly dismissed this as ridiculous. I dropped him off at the school’s library where the seniors were donning their caps and gowns and preparing for the big event. Carrie Driver, who had been Harrison’s special education teacher since 8th grade, waved me off with body language indicating I was not welcome to hang out. I left, but down the hall realized that I had not given him the printout of the lyrics. I turned around. This time Carrie was blunt with the tough love and told me to leave. He didn’t need the lyrics, she said, he knows them. It was time to let him go, time to let him fly.

When the graduates marched in file into the gym, a balloon ominously popped right as Harrison passed beneath the archway. There was a brief silent moment and I could feel the tension of a few hundred people expecting a meltdown. He laughed it off and marched on.

Then he took to the podium, welcomed the crowd to the 2022 graduation, and asked them all to stand for the anthem. What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary as Harrison sang the Star-Spangled Banner flawlessly. Before it was over the entire audience had joined in and quite a few of them were teary-eyed, including me.

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