A high school graduation ceremony is a very big deal for any high school senior. It is a reward for years and years of hard work. It is also a rite of passage. It marks the end of one chapter in life and the beginning of the next chapter.

Last year, in 2020, many students didn’t get to attend traditional graduation ceremonies, but in 2021, things are a little bit closer to normal. While some schools still opt for drive-by graduation ceremonies, other schools have found ways to create in-person ceremonies.

Just like at school, graduation ceremonies have dress codes for the students who are graduating. The dress code is usually much more strict that during a regular school day. In some cases, the dress code might be too strict, to the point of preventing students from walking on stage during graduation. This almost happened to Daverius Peters.

Peters was really excited about graduating from Hahnville High School in Boutte, Louisiana. It was all he could think about all day.

He thought he had dressed according to the graduation dress code, but when he arrived for graduation, he was told his shoes didn’t fit the requirements. The dress code required students to wear dark colored dress shoes. Students were not permitted to wear open-toe shoes, athletic shoes or slippers. 

Peters was wearing a pair of black leather Alexander McQueen shoes. He was told that he couldn’t wear those shoes for the graduation ceremony. He had no idea what to do.

Then, Peters saw one of his teachers who happened to have a daughter that was graduating that day. He ran up to teacher John Butler and told him he wasn’t going to be able to attend the graduation ceremony because his shoes violated the dress code. Bulter thought there must have been a mistake, so he went up to the faculty member at the door who had turned Peters away. She still insisted he couldn’t enter because of his shoes.

That’s when Butler made a spur-of-the-moment decision that literally saved the day for Peters. Butler took off his shoes and told Peters to put them on. That seemed to appease the faculty member, and Peters was allowed to attend the graduation ceremony. Meanwhile, Butler just wore socks to watch his daughter graduate.

Watch the video below to watch Peters graduate and to hear the important message Butler taught that day by his kind actions.

Do you think the school should have allowed Peters to wear his black shoes to attend the graduation ceremony? Do you think their dress code is too strict? Have you ever had a teacher as kind and generous as Butler?