<p>No need to punish the kid for being liked. I think a good lashing would set the unruly people straight. In my head I picture the gestapo escorting people away from their seats for clapping. If only I could witness such a thing.</p>
<p>I agree with stopping the proceedings. But perhaps child rearing practices help with this as well? Hand the ‘kids’ in the audience ribbons to wave instead of bellowing into their seatmate’s ears?</p>
<p>We had loud and obnoxious parents sitting nearby at my kid’s 8th grade graduation, and I resented their extending the proceedings so they could scream their kid’s name (and pat themselves on the back at the same time). But I have to say I felt differently when the kid with muscular distrophy wheeled up to the stage and everyone gave him an extended round of applause and cheers.</p>
<p>I just hope the denied diploma business doesn’t cause huge rifts in the families involved. Probably not!</p>
<p>This issue has been a pet peeve of mine for years. I really don’t mind the clapping or maybe even cheering for a student as they cross the stage during their high school graduation. It is the airhorns that really get me. In particular, the “industrial size” contraptions that can leave you deaf for a few minutes after they are discharged too close. I have been on the site council of our high school for several years and we have gone round and round about what to do to make the ceremony a more dignified occassion. The students act fine - not one fist pump, cartwheel, etc. this year out of @250 graduates. It is the audience - obnoxious!! I suggested metal detectors - wouldn’t those catch the airhorns as they came in?? My personal suggestion was that the principal should make a statement at the beginning of the ceremony noting that they have conducted a study and it has been found that the more airhorns that sound off as a student crosses the stage, the lower the class rank of that particular student. That would stop it, don’t you think!! This year the principal jokingly tried to get the superintendent to “let one blast” as my D made her walk. I would have died!!</p>
<p>There seems to be some reasonable folk in the area:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.pjstar.com/stories/060207/REG_BDCU4JH4.046.php[/url]”>http://www.pjstar.com/stories/060207/REG_BDCU4JH4.046.php</a></p>
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<p>I certainly agree with those points by the Illinois Board of Education.</p>
<p>I have never heard of airhorns at a graduation!! Some of you have referenced these at graduations you have attended. Maybe the backwoods of VT has other redeeming qualities, LOL. Our HS graduation, in VT, is held on the school lawn under a very large tent. I have never seen an airhorn used. I have also attended my own college and graduate school graduations, and again, never heard of the use of airhorns.</p>
<p>thanks for posting this link.</p>
<p>I am shaking my head at the superintendent’s idea that students should perform community service in lieu of the relatives who (allegedly) cheered. Shouldn’t he ask the cheerers to perform community service instead? 
Why is this nut in that position of superintendent?</p>
<p>At the Reed College graduation, there was cheering for each and every student. No request was made to have it otherwise. It was lovely. Some students got long jubilant cheers from huge extended families; others got a brief round of applause. Even with all that, they averaged 7 seconds/student for just over 200 students. Yes, I timed it, because my daughter was the very last undergraduate (I was checking to see if I had time to go to the bathroom). </p>
<p>I’ve been at graduations with the applause ban and I’ve been at graduations without, and the applause makes it more fun. If they want to shorten something, get rid of the speeches that no one remembers anyway.</p>
<p>My S graduated last night. He is our first to graduate from this particular high school. It was a ticketed event in the school gymnasium. Each student and their parent had to sign a form stating they understood the school’s “no cheering” policy and agreed to abide by it. Written inside the program, the audience was also asked not to clap until the end for all of the 458 graduates. I was really looking forward to a dignified celebration.</p>
<p>Well, guess what? Once the first student’s name was announced, the cheering began. Most of it was on the mild side, but some parents were absolutely obnoxious. I felt very sorry for the families of those students who were unable to hear the name of their child announced because some yahoos in the crowd only cared about their own kid.</p>
<p>None of the graduates acted out so none of the threatened disciplinary action was needed. I just wish that their families and friends could have comported themselves in a more dignified manner. And yes, there were horns and whistles too.</p>
<p>I agree that the subject school district went over the top in witholding the 5 students diplomas. They should not be held responsible for the actions of others. </p>
<p>I second Marite’s suggestion.</p>
<p>We had our graduation today, it takes place in a church (jesuit school)</p>
<p>anyway, big announcement about no clapping and everyone was good, so when the last kid of over 300 had his name read, after a 2 1/2 hour ceremony, there was LOTS of clapping, bet that makes the kid who is always last at least feel good as the applause is after HIS name</p>
<p>At my d’s high school, when the class is asked to hold applause until the end, everyone claps once after each name. Doesn’t take more time that it does for the speaker to breathe, and it’s fun - kind of communal.</p>
<p>Tomorrow is graduation, so we’ll see what announcements are made.</p>
<p>My son’s graduation from public high school was hideous. Airhorns, one family yelling out their child’s name over and over through out the whole ceremony, lots of noise throughout the ceremony. I could not hear the valedictorian speech, there was yelling the entire time. People stood at the railing blocking other people’s views. A fight almost broke out. Insults were shouted back and forth because of someone blocking someone else’s view. One girl sitting by us (didn’t know her) saw us starting to cheer for my son and blasted an airhorn in my dad’s ear – I think she thought she was being sweet by making noise for him. It was kind of funny, actually, but my dad wasn’t very happy about it!</p>
<p>When we were leaving many older people, grandparents of graduates I’m guessing, were shaking their heads in disbelief, shocked by the rudeness of the audience. My in-laws were appalled. They said they’d never seen anything like it.</p>
<p>My son said it wasn’t that noisy down in front where the graduates were sitting. I wish I could have arranged for my dad and in-laws to sit there!</p>
<p>Ha ha, I’d almost forgotten how truly abysmal the whole thing was. Truly if you had been there you would understand why some schools might take desperate measures to try to make things better. </p>
<p>It took place at an old theatre down town. Apparently the graduation ceremony is somewhat better now they’ve moved it outside to a nearby college campus, or so I’ve heard. The noise just doesn’t reverberate as much outside, I guess.</p>
<p>We went to an 8th grade graduation a couple of years ago, and it was soooo different from out staid one at our little parochial school…with hooting and hollerin, and messing around</p>
<p>after that, I really appreciated the cermomy and respect shown at our boring one, at least we could hear and I find it sad one 3/4 get cheered while others families were more sedate made it sound like they had no one</p>
<p>and those grandparents, sounds like it was some of their own kids that were acting like they were at a bball game</p>
<p>This incident sort of reminds me of those people that clap in the middle of a musical performance after a solo, even after being told by the conductor not to clap until the entire performance is over.</p>
<p>I agree that the consequence was a bit extreme.</p>
<p>“the senior sponsor told her to get out that she failed a class and she couldn’t graduate. The next day she went and found out that she didn;t fail anything and picked up her diploma. And another person, Couldn’t walk with us but could pick up her diploma the next day. Why??! noo reason. Even after getting their diploma, they missed out on the most important part.”</p>
<p>How awful for those students. They should be writing letters to the editor of their newspaper, and naming names. They should also go before the School Board.</p>
<p>Easy answer, just cheer everbody after that point and let the chips fall.</p>
<p>At my nephews’ school, the rule was for the families to stand up when their graduate was called and sit down as the next name was called. You still get to show your support, but in a silent way. </p>
<p>(Howver, it didn’t work too well at that school; tho most people did the standing up thing, there was still a lot of noise and misbehavior in general. But maybe it would work better in more civilized schools).</p>
<p>I just went to a graduation where they had the perfect solutions:</p>
<p>a polite request at the outset to save applause for the end
a PA system powerful enough and clear enough to be heard over any shouting
a name-reader who kept tempo like a metronome, no matter what happened</p>
<p>at a certain point, the “yellers” gave up: a quick whoop and then quiet, since it was clear it was a lost cause.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of airhorns at a HS graduation either. I do have a feeling that this was one particularly unruly crowd and that all the suggestions made by posters above were probably tried to no avail the year before. The families had to sign contracts this year agreeing to the consequences to their children if they broke with the policy. I wonder if seating was assigned and/or if there was an effort to make sure that the violators were indeed family members.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s not fair to penalize a kid for something that is out of their control.</p>
<p>You can’t deny a diploma for that.
THat is a crock. Call the civil liberties union…ACLU.</p>
<p>Restrained cheering and applause adds to the celebretary mood of a high school graduation. However, depending on the location of the event, and the local codes, I think they should be able to remove and arrest any offenders that excessively disrupt the proceedings (i.e. airhorns, moving to the front, blocking others’ views, etc.) and make THEM do community service!</p>
<p>But the kids should not be held responsible for the behavior of the audience.</p>