LINCOLN -- Lincoln High School's 2021 graduation ceremony ended Thursday with caps flying, a fireworks show and a sweet surprise for one of the graduates, A.J. Valdez.
Principal Stan Karber, in closing out the ceremony, asked guests standing along the fence to move aside for a special presentation.
A Cox Communications truck drove through a gate onto the football field pulling a trailer identified as "AJ's Sno Shack."
As the crowd cheered, Karber explained that Kandi Newby, who is a special education teacher, started a new activity where she allowed A.J. to make and give out snow cones to students on Fridays.
Karber said A.J. told the school that he wanted to have his own snow cone truck one day and, with the assistance of Cox Communications and others, Karber said A.J. is going to get the chance "to live out what he wants to do."
Karber said A.J. "represents everything that is good in everyone of us here."
He asked if anyone wanted a watermelon snow cone and multiple hands went up in the air. Every time the snow shack shows up, people will remember the Class of 2021, Karber said.
"From now on, we're going to give something back from the foundation that you started," he told the graduates who have persevered and stood out during a year dominated by the covid-19 pandemic.
A.J.'s mother, Christy Valdez, said she had some sort of an idea what was going to happen, but "I didn't know it would be this extreme. This is awesome."
A.J., who was diagnosed with autism as a young child, shared his thoughts about the new snow shack. It's "amazing," A.J. said. He said he likes to give out snow cones to his friends "because they taste so good." Watermelon is his favorite flavor.
Newby has been teaching A.J. for five years, since eighth grade.
"A.J. is that once in a lifetime student that teachers long for," Newby said. "He's the whole package. He's the real deal. He's got the biggest heart you could ever imagine. He's kind, he's compassionate, he doesn't meet a stranger. He's A.J. I'm going to miss this kid like there's no other."
Karber said A.J. gives joy to others and the snow cone truck is one way to give back to him.
"I still don't think it is giving him everything that he gives us," Karber said. "That's how that dude is everyday. In the middle of everything we went through, that's how he represented himself. It was an honor to try to give anything back."
