Transcript Staff Writer

Twenty students have entered the ranks of University of Oklahoma alumni Friday. But some of them aren't even old enough to vote.

That's because the diplomas handed out at this ceremony were for high school.

OU is one of eight universities with a diploma-granting high school. This is the seventh graduation for OU High School, created in 2000.

The high school is part of the Center for Independent and Distance Learning at the Cross Main building and serves students who either need to complete their high school education or complement their high school curriculum in some way.

Students do course work online, e-mailing their teachers if they have questions. The teachers and staff at OU High have been supportive and responsive to e-mail and phone questions, said Kenneth Kimbrough of Oklahoma City who graduated Friday.

The flexible schedule attracted most of the 12 seniors who attended the commencement ceremony at Oklahoma Memorial Union's Meacham Auditorium.

The flexibility allowed students to pursue other things besides spending their time in school. Kimbrough chose to spend his senior year at OU High so he could work more.

"I pretty much just wanted something flexible because I wanted to work and save money for college," he said. Kimbrough received a scholarship to attend Oklahoma City University next fall.

The graduates sat in the Pioneer Room before the ceremony and talked about their experience at OU High School. This was the first time they had met, but they felt an instant bond.

"We should, like, get each other's AIMs (instant messenger screen names) and stuff," said Nabilah Rawdah of Choctaw.

Many of the students said they picked OUHS because they didn't like the alternative.

"I hated my local high school," Rawdah said.

Meghan Cassidy immediately agreed, bringing up her former school in Ardmore.

"The kids, they just run wild because the teachers act like big kids themselves," she said. She added that the other students were relentless in picking on her and others. When asked if she thought she missed out on anything by not having the traditional high school experience, she laughed.