ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — Eight high school students who work at a Slidell Winn-Dixie store and who were honored by the store with a 'graduation ceremony' in the store's stock room received a big surprise from native New Orleanian Ellen Degeneres.
The eight graduates and two of the store managers who arranged the event were on an EllenTube video in an eight-minute segment that was published to Facebook by the St. Tammany Parish School system.
"I love this story so much," gushed Degeneres, who added that as a New Orleans native, she is well-acquainted with the town of Slidell.
As the video comes to a close, Degeneres has them open a 'diploma' with a $10,000 gift inside each.
"You're going to turn out to be a different person from this, and I think for the better, because you're learning so much with this life experience than you would have just finishing your senior year," she told the students about their having to deal with the quarantine and unusual situation.
The ceremony in late April ended with a special commencement address given by 45-year Winn-Dixie associate and store manager, Jimmy Scott. In his speech, Scott inspired the associates by encouraging them to focus on their goals and continue working hard to lead the next generation.
Scott and Genel Schwab, the two managers who pulled off the 'store graduation,' were also honored as "Ellen's employees of the month" and each will be brought to view a taping of one of "Ellen's 12 Days of Giveaways" shows later in the year.
