Graduation marks family’s ties of 50 years to Shawe

For Janet Jones, left, and her granddaughter, Hailey Jones, the May 31 graduation ceremony at Father Michael Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School in Madison will create another bond between them. Hailey will be graduating from Shawe 50 years after her grandmother did. (Photo by Marta Belt)

By John Shaughnessy

Like many parents and grandparents at this time of year, Janet Jones knows she will experience a range of emotions when she watches one of her granddaughters graduate from high school.

The grandmother expects to react with pride and joy when Hailey Jones receives her diploma from Father Michael Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School in Madison on May 31.

Jones also figures she will be sad, too. That’s because Hailey’s graduation from Shawe will mark the end of a special connection that the 67-year-old Jones has had with the school for more than 50 years.

First, she graduated from Shawe in 1959. Then she made sure her three children—Kevin, Keith and Kim—also benefited from a Catholic education in high school. And she has savored the time that Hailey and her older sister, Paige, a 2007 Shawe graduate, have spent at the school.

“Shawe has always been an important part of my life,” says Janet Jones, a member of Prince of Peace Parish in Madison. “It’s been a very good school for my family. We have so much talent in our school. It’s because of the teachers, the principal and Father John [Meyer]. They have a special outpouring for the children there. The children are the No. 1 priority. It’s so sad that I’m not going to have any more grandchildren go through Shawe.”

At 18, Hailey Jones is dealing with her own emotions as she nears graduating with her 23 classmates.

“I’ve been excited to this point, but I’m starting to realize I’m leaving all my friends and all the things I’ve known the past four years,” Hailey says. “So it’s been bittersweet lately.”

She will also miss the guiding influence of her high school teachers.

“I really enjoy being around all the teachers,” she says. “We appreciate all the time they’ve given us. They’ve always taught us to be different and to accept ourselves as who we are, as individuals. I’m not afraid to be myself.”

She’s also proud of her family’s longstanding connection to Shawe. Her parents, Kevin Jones and Lisa Dattilo Morgan, both graduated from the school in 1980. Hailey’s great-grandfather on her mother’s side helped raise money to build the school. And she’s always felt a special bond to her grandmother, Janet Jones.

“I’m graduating 50 years after her. It’s a neat thing to talk about,” Hailey says. “She is a wonderful woman. I love spending time at her house. It’s always fun. She loves me unconditionally. She sees me through the hard times. It’s nice to have a grandmother like her.”

While Hailey will continue her education at the University of Evansville, her grandmother hopes to continue her connection to Shawe.

After Hailey’s graduation, Janet Jones plans to return to the school in August to support her son, Kevin, the coach of the girls’ volleyball team. She’s also considering another approach to stay connected to the high school that means so much to her.

She laughs and says, “I think I’m going to have to adopt a student there next year.” †