DOWAGIAC — In a small white room Friday, a group of young adults dressed in long black robes stood in front of a cheering crowd of friends and family as they moved red tassels on their caps from one side of their faces to the other.

“Thank you everyone for coming here today to celebrate these students’ accomplishments,” said Shelly Derenzy, supervisor of special education for Lewis Cass Intermediate School District. “We thank you for giving us the privilege to work with these children for these years. … They are really great adults. They are a dynamic group and they are ready to go out into the world. They have accomplished so much.”

Students with the Lewis Cass ISD North Pointe Center, 704 N. Orchard St., Dowagiac, graduated from the life skills program Friday afternoon. Five students in total were graduated: Austin Bockerich, Nike Brunty, Katie Crothers, Jeanaylia Connolly and Laura Thomas.

The North Pointe Center’s life skills program serves older students with moderate to severe disabilities. Through the program, students learn life skills and how to function within the community, according to the program website.

“The students have accomplished individual goals for themselves,” said Special Education Teacher Molly High. “For example, some of them have gotten driver’s license. Some of them have jobs. Whatever their personal life goals were have been met.”

Though they were not receiving diplomas Friday — each student was awarded a certificate of program completion — High said the graduation ceremony was an important milestone for those participating in the life skills program.

“A lot of [the students] come to us and aren’t able to do a typical graduation because of special education,” she said. “They come to us and they still have accomplishments, just like everyone else. They have a right to go through a ceremony and having that feeling of graduation.”

During the graduation ceremony itself, High talked about each student individually and spoke about what made them special and what she would miss about teaching them.

“I’m so proud of you all,” she told the students Friday. “Each one of you has left a lasting impression that we will never forget.”

The students themselves said they were grateful for the program — several said it taught them how to be adults — and said they were excited that they got to experience a graduation ceremony.

“It feels great to have completed this program and graduated,” said 20-year-old Austin Bockerich. “It feels like I have a whole new life ahead of me. … It’s really exciting.”

Nike Brunty, 22, who also achieved a high school diploma, said he was overwhelmed with gratitude at the graduation and said that he couldn’t have done it without his family, instructors and fellow classmates.

“I couldn’t have done it without the support,” he said. “I’m excited to go forward into the future.”