From the Dog Bites Man Dept.

We get this Ft. Myers News-Press headline-

2006 grads will have diploma in hand

Why were they supposed to be in foot?(Cue the sarcastic laughter)

In all seriousness this is good news. Last year Lee County students didn't get diplomas because a company named Jostens hired to make these simple documents failed miserably. They were full of typos.

I even gave Jostens a Knucklehead award.

This year the diplomas were done in-house. So graduating seniors will got what they deserve. Congratulations to all of them.

Open Post- Bright & Early, Jo's Cafe,

Unlike the graduating class of 2005, seniors graduating this week won't come home empty-handed.

They'll have diplomas to show mom, dad, grandma and anyone else who attends their post-graduation parties, thanks to school employees who printed the certificates themselves.

In 2005, hundreds of graduating seniors in all of Lee County's 10 high schools left commencement empty-handed after Minnesota-based Jostens Inc. produced diplomas chock full of misspellings, typographical errors, incorrect school colors and missing mascot emblems.

Schools around the country experienced similar problems as Jostens moved into a new facility during graduation season.

Cape Coral High teacher Marcia Fain said 2005 graduates stopped by the school all summer, hoping their diplomas were finished.

"They've worked so hard for all of these years," Fain said.

It took weeks for the company to correct mistakes, and Lee schools eventually went to Press Printing in Fort Myers to complete the job.

This year, the school district took matters into its own hands, purchasing a $14,000 printing machine. Staffers rolled up their sleeves and printed 6,000-7,000 diplomas in-house over several days last week. Richard Milburn Academy, a charter school in Fort Myers, even contracted with the district to produce its certificates.

The in-house diplomas look just as good as professionally produced versions, but principals don't have to jump through hoops for last-minute changes and students are guaranteed to walk away from commencements with a memento.

"A diploma is a lifetime keepsake," said Lee high school consultant Herb Wiseman. "Years later, after you've graduated, you still get it out and look at it."