VALENCIA CELEBRATES GRADUATES BY PUTTING THEIR NAMES ON LYNX BUS

Valencia Community College usually celebrates its graduating students by running an ad in the newspaper. But this year, college officials said they wanted to recognize students in a more visible way. You’ll see the names of honors graduates in red. Valencia wanted to do something special, officials said, because this year’s graduating class will be the last at Valencia Community College. The institution will change its name to Valencia College in a few months.

They’ve posted the names of all 7,192 graduates on a Lynx bus with the congratulatory message: “The 2011 Valencia Grads are Going Places. Congrats!”

“We hope it also sends a strong message of encouragement to all those who see it and connect Valencia with the place to start right and finish big,” said spokeswoman Carol Traynor.

The decorated bus will be parked outside the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee on Saturday morning so students and their families can pose for graduation photos in front of it. The commencement ceremony starts at 10 a.m.

Afterward, the bus will be carrying passengers for two months along the bus route known as Link 15, which includes a stop at Valencia’s East Campus, located on North Econlockhatchee Trail in Orlando.