At the New Salem High School graduation ceremony, Karl Holle's mother "walked to him. She leaned over and rested her head against his, placed her hand gently on his cheek and whispered how proud she was of him. Tears filled her eyes."

That's how Tribune photographer Mike McCleary captured in words a special graduation moment. His photographs Sunday shared a larger story of a young man and his family and autism.

Many tears of joy, happiness and celebration were shed at school graduations around the state in recent weeks. Each graduate has a story, though perhaps only a few as poignant as Karl Holle and his family's. But for every graduate, especially from high school, graduation is a milestone heavy with meaning and opportunity. Young men and women step onto the stage and into the future.

Providing a public education and community support that goes with it seems so very appropriate at this time every year.

North Dakota needs these young people. We need their skills. Their energy. And their hope for the future.

When Karl Holle was 6 years old, the Tribune focused on the Holle family and autism in a special report called "Love beyond boundaries." In words and pictures, readers first learned in 1996 about the challenges the Holle family and its surrounding community faced in raising a child with autism. The newspaper revisited the Holles in 1997 and 2003. Now Karl has graduated from high school. He, too, has stepped onto the stage and into the future, and the Holle family has hope and sees opportunities for their young man.

Our hope is that Karl and all the other 2009 graduates will be able to take advantage of the opportunities before them. That they each realize their dreams and hopes.

We learned Monday in the Tribune that Tyler Sandford, a 2009 graduate of Bismarck High School, has set a grand adventure before himself for this summer. He intends to climb 54 mountains in Colorado with summits of more than 14,000 feet. Other graduates are already in the work force, or looking for new jobs, or starting new jobs or careers. Others are preparing for college or university life. Still others are joining the armed services.

This fall, Karl Holle will return to his high school to continue a work study program. When he turns 21, he'll be eligible for a host of programs.

Karl's mother, Catherine, following the graduation ceremony in New Salem, said it all:"Eighteen years. We made it through this milestone, but we're still not done. There is more ahead. It doesn't matter how long it takes to make it work. We are so proud of what has become of him."

Congratulations to Karl Holle and his family. Congratulations to all the 2009 graduates and their families. Good luck.