Five Epiphanies About Dakota Fanning’s High School Graduation

The Famous: Watching the Watched

This is not a still photo from a movie where Dakota Fanning portrays a high school graduate. It's an image of the 17-year-old former child actress actually GRADUATING with the Class of 2011 at North Hollywood's Campbell Hall Episcopal High School, where she was a cheerleader and Homecoming Queen.

Here are five things we realized from this milestone in Fanning's life:

1. The "Twilight" star skipped Sunday's MTV Movie Awards, where the vamp saga cleaned up, in order to prepare for her graduation ceremony. That's dedication.

2. She might be the only young actress today who's listening to Reese Witherspoon's sage advice on the dangers of sexting, sex tapes and reality shows.

3. She might be the only young actress today who chose to have a normal teenage life, more or less out of the spotlight.

4. It's slightly scary when child stars grow up (see: Frankie Muniz). Fanning is an exception, and has pleasantly outgrown the "precocious" thing. Can we be honest here? She was kind of an annoying kid. Cute, but annoying.

5. She seems clean but we suspect that maybe she tried alcohol, maybe at a party in someone's basement. Or after Prom.

Shall we give her a round of applause?