Web Watch

Just because Mitchell Yaksh is graduating in a class of one doesn't mean he's celebrating the occasion alone. Along with his principal and teacher—his father and mother, respectively—about 140 relatives and friends were on hand recently for the homeschooler's pomp-and-circumstance-laden commencement exercise. Though the school itself is just a den in his family’s Atlanta home, Mitchell wore a cap and gown and received an official-looking diploma at the ceremony, just like his six older siblings had. "We wanted them to be able to look back and say … they never felt that they missed out on anything," explained teacher/mother Marilyn Yaksh. Nor was Mitchell’s event the most elaborate in the area. Parents of 35 home school seniors recently attended a graduation ceremony for their students and more than 800 guests at the cavernous Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, complete with a speech by Governor Sonny Perdue.