<p>We have NO recognition or dilineation at graduation WHATSOEVER!! No val, no sal. And school does not rank for external purposes or publicizing. No AP cords or NHS notation (or any other honors notation) in the program. NOTHING. So at our ceremony, everyone is treated exactly the same. Name is called, come up on stage, shake hands, get diploma, get picture taken, go sit down. It’s fabulous!! Graduation speakers can be anyone in the class and they must audition in front of a small, faculty committee and are chosen based on audition and content of speech.</p>
<p>We do have one, VERY LONG 3+ hour Awards Night where all awards are handed out. Parents are notified by mail if their child is getting an award, but not what kind of award. Therefore, everyone there will be receiving something. The evening includes local scholarships (need/merit/sports/music/art/community service, etc), academic awards (departmental, top 5% of class, etc), Junior Book Awards, and school awards usually done by the Guidance Office. It’s long night but I think it is done right.</p>
<p>At our large public hs (more than 700 grads), the only cords I am aware of is for California Scholastic Federation Sealbearer. The kids were notified and asked if they wanted to purchase cords which my d did, but I don’t think there is anything else. There is no NHS so no stole like some other schools. I sort of feel like we are the “bad news bears” of schools around here.</p>
<p>After Son said that almost everyone got a medal at rehearsal, I looked up what it takes to be a “Texas Scholar.” You basically have to graduate with the “recommended” or “distiguished” diploma, rather than the “minimum.” As far as I can tell, in our district that means that the kids who don’t have a medal are ones who didn’t take two years of a foreign language. Now that makes me kind of sad…probably the only ones who won’t have a medal are the “slow” kids and the ones with a language-based learning disability.</p>
<p>Prob not too popular an opinion, but all the cords, stoles and fal-de-ral is too much for me, I wonder how the other kids feel? sometimes, and this comes from a parent who’s child got her fair share. Sometimes I just want to go back to the basics I waffle. Our school does not have caps and gowns. no hats just sunglasses for the sun. We have an award day where they take their award home , no medals displayed. My D wasn’t even given her french medal at award day. I’'ts pretty simple, I like that. Seems more like everyone is important.</p>
<p>We do have a “Scholars Night” where the students in the top 5% of each class (fresh/soph/jun/sen) are recognized. Also, the seniors who have been in the top 5% all four years are given a nice dictionary and are recognized in a separate group. There is a reception for everyone afterwards.</p>
<p>Again, parents are informed by mail if their child will be honored at the ceremony. Therefore, all in attendance have a delightful and very proud reason to be there. It isn’t an open, public ceremony in the sense that everyone in the school is invited, though I suppose anyone can attend though I see no reason why they would if they were not part of the evenings festivities.</p>
<p>When I graduated in the dark ages, we had NHS cords and that was all. I had not heard of medals or stoles. Actually, before y’all shared here on CC, I thought it was a Texas thing…you know, the more bling the better. I actually wouldn’t mind a no-bling/everybody’s equal graduation (but since we have it, I’m glad Son has some!) </p>
<p>Of course, the NHS stole costs $18 and the Scholar Ambasador cords cost $12 (the $12 is refundable if you turn them in right away.) Some kids who earned the stuff might not have it because they didn’t have $30 (or didn’t want to spend it that way.)</p>
<p>downtoearth, S1’s school is like that. No caps and gowns, no bling. No val, no sal (no ranking at all); the class presidents speak. All awards are at a separate ceremony (tonight, whee), and nothing will be on display tomorrow.</p>
<p>I only just found out from S1 this morning that at last night’s senior banquet (no parents - we dine with them all tonight), each one of the members of the class got up to give a brief farewell speech to his/her classmates. S1 doesn’t understand why hearing this made me cry. Again. Got a nice note from the dean just now saying he spoke well - but I bet she says that to all the moms. :)</p>
<p>Let’s see…the cap and gown with basic tassel were $38. NHS stole was $25, Honors stole and tassel were $20, performing arts cord $10. S could have switched out the basic tassel for the honors one and saved me $7, but he didn’t know that and didn’t have the basic tassel at school.</p>
<p>Older son’s high school’s NHS stole was $16 deposit, and I could have gotten all of that back, except that he informed me after the deadline for return. I don’t remember what his honors cord and tassel were…maybe $10? </p>
<p>I wonder if all the bling is just an extension of the participation-trophy culture? I’m not saying that many of the bling isn’t earned, but just that it might be okay without any of it.</p>
My son also attends an academy, and their special ceremony was last week. It sounds similar to yours and was very nice. I’ve also attended the other three years, since it is also the undergrad academy awards recognition. I think there were 71 seniors receiving the special academy medallion. I think there are somewhere between 430 and 470 high school seniors.</p>
<p>awards ceremony here is by inviatation. Students and parents are informed if the student will be receiving an award and that it would be a good idea to attend.
there were about 40 students there - each got at least a cord. Many got another type of recognition (S got 2 others -one monetary and one that honored his math accomplishments which he values more than the one with the money) and a small handful got a lot of booty - plaques, certificates, medals, some money for various endeavors like sports, FBLA, community service and various small scholarships they applied to. It was OK because everyone received some type of recognition. And we were pleased to see S recognized for his math and physics prowess.
I felt badly for one girl though who had poured her heart and soul into the theater productions there, playing the lead in several challenging roles, and she was overlooked for the one who played the lead in the last production (they always remember the “last” one). She looked more and more crestfallen as the evening progressed as she was not called for any awards until near the end - and it was not one which she was hoping to get</p>
<p>The awards for choir, theatre, band and sports are given at each group’s banquet. I think that is a lot more appropriate and frankly, a lot more fun. When you get a dance award, you really want to be applauded by your fellow dancers and their parents, not the kids who are getting the history and chemistry awards.</p>
<p>oregon101 can totally see your S being uncomfortable w/ the screaming. He seems like the sort who wouldn’t want that sort of notice.</p>
<p>HMW cyber tissues to you! I am sure your S1 did a wonderful job speaking. Our kids record “thank yous” to be played during the time people are coming in and finding their seats. D left her draft in my car and I of course read it. ::sniff:: How is S1 holding up?</p>
<p>Today is the Senior Picnic at the lake…it is about 55 degrees today so poor kids hope they don’t freeze oh and rain is threatening. Great day for a BBQ but they did receive their yearbooks and many are clinging to these “lasts” as strongly as their parernts.</p>
<p>Our kids wear school colors: Girls in Cardinal boys in Black Many girls get leis and 60+$ that’s some pricey bling!</p>
<p>My week next week</p>
<p>Sun: Top 40 Banquet for students chosen as students of the Month and Baccalaureate
Mon: Track Banquet
Tues: Awards Night
Wed: Frantic house cleaning
Thurs: DS graduates 8th grade
Fri: DDs graduate Sober grad celebration
Sat: Grad party please please please let the weather be nice we sooooooo don’t want to move it inside!</p>
<p>HM–I think it felt pretty juvenile to him. But then–he was upset with me last night because I shuffled some papers on his desk and “lost” the prom boutinier he was saving.
I am so frustrated–waiting for a gardener to come and give us a bid for a section of our yard that has never been landscaped. He is now 42 minutes late and “is on his way” when I called HIM. So, now I don’t want him and grrr. If H or I ran our work this way…</p>
<p>Ok–just owe this gardener an update to all of you. I really liked him. AND he offered to come back today and cut down 3 dead bushes that the gardener that came yesterday did not do for FREE (the lapers were in the other truck). Anyway–will wait for his bid for the big project.
HS–that is our day–the housecleaning. I am so glad we do not have any overnight guests. Still–the things I notice when I know company is coming…</p>
<p>At our HS they add the graduation cost onto the annual fees we pay. This includes a cap and gown for each grad (purchased and distributed by the school two weeks before graduation) tassles for summa, magna or cum laude, NHS stoles (paid for by the school, distributed 2 days before graduation and claimed immediately after the ceremony so they are reused annually), and a very few miscellaneous items. </p>
<p>During the walk, the student is actually not given their diploma but a holder for their diploma. After the ceremony is finished the students reported to another area where they returned their NHS stoles if applicable and picked up their paperwork (which mind you we still haven’t opened).</p>
<p>This keeps the costs down I think. The only downside is that we have almost no pictures of D with her stole because it was immediately returned.</p>
<p>Another tip for class of 2010 – make sure you take gown out of envelope before the morning of graduation. Some of the kids’ gowns had really bad fold lines.</p>
<p>D’s graduation was last night. The school handled the NHS stoles exactly as sharonohio described above. My D didn’t realize she had to return it and was disappointed. Crazy thing they did at dress rehersal…they took the class photo BEFORE the awards ceremony; hence, the photo will not reflect the NHS stoles, and all the other cords, etc. Maybe this was planned…don’t know.</p>
<p>On a more positive note, my D expected to be awarded High Honors and top 10 percent of the class. She was very happy to realize she made Highest Honors and is in the top 5 percent. The administration was holding out on all but the top three kids as to their GPA and class rank. Still don’t know her exact class rank, but it has to be within the top 9 students. She was pretty happy.</p>
<p>We had a faimly with 2 toddlers and a SCREAMING baby sitting behind us. Everybody sitting around them were so annoyed because the family made no effort to keep the noise level down. The adults made no attempt to quiet their own voices either. At one point it was so bad, some of the graduates turned around to see what was going on. I finally spoke up and told them “it’s impossible to focus on the event because of the noise they’re making”. The grandmother replied, “It’s because they’re little”. I replied, “I realize that, they’re hot, bored, and tired. Why don’t you take them out”. Another individual sitting behind them spoke up and told them “that’s what babysitters are for”. About 5 minutes later during a lovely solo singing performance, the baby was screaming so loud, the father eventually took it out. The poor young lady’s singing was drowned out by the screaming for a good portion of the song. I was so angry, but kept my cool. Didn’t want to create any more of a scene than they had already created. Then, when their daughter was in the que for her name to be called, they started screaming for her…right through the two previous candidates names and honors being called. If they had screamed during my daughter’s moment, I don’t know if I would have even attempted to keep my cool. They were just awful!</p>