When the Class of 2022 celebrated their graduation at Springdale School District, they were in for a surprise. The ceremony not only honored the current graduates but also paid tribute to four extraordinary veterans who would have graduated back in 1956 if they hadn’t chosen to serve in the military. These veterans, Carl Stults, Bobby Burke, Charles Leroy Moon, and Bob Self, were affectionately called the “super seniors” and were awarded honorary diplomas alongside the graduating seniors.

Back in 1956, these four young men were high school seniors, but none of them received a diploma from Springdale High School. Carl Self shared, “I took a GED test when I joined the Air Force, but Springdale didn’t recognize the GED at the time. I ended up getting a diploma from Little Rock Central.” It was only recently that the school district became aware of their missing diplomas, coincidentally when they all met up for lunch one day.