All Boys school here as well; special honors induction for Cum Laude induction held with parents and student body during a school day near end of term; also an Honors assembly for academic awards (grades 9-12) during a different school day, again with student body and parents.
Commencement is celebratory for all; seating by alphabetic; cum laude, lifetime attendance (k-12), and legacy status denoted in program only. Dress for graduation is navy coat and white pants with boutonnière…no cap, no gown, no ranking beyond cum laude (top 20% of class). Two speakers chosen by faculty…generally, one a scholar and one a very popular senior.
My son also attends a private school and we were just asked for money for the newest capital campaign not for a special senior gift but if they get wind of that they might just think that is a great idea :))
Interesting note on Robe Colors for graduation - not to do with Honors or non-Honors. Our school has traditionally had Green robes for the guys and White for the girls. Beginning this year they will offer the students the choice to wear green or white based on their preference in response to an LGBTQ initiative from last year.
We no longer officially rank - however if it will assist a students chance for acceptance to a school of choice - their rank can be provided. Not sure what that means in regards to the graduation this year. My D16 was in the top 10% and S17 is as well. S17 will have cords for NHS, Math HS and German HS.
No problem at all with different color gowns at grad as reward for years of hard work. I always looked at kids who were ranked ahead of me as people who worked harder than I did. Always told my kid that good grades open doors and bad grades close them.
It has almost become a bad thing to say out loud that someone should be rewarded for hard work. It is almost never just happenstance or luck that someone has top grades. Smarts without hard work will not get you anywhere but hard work can make up for a lot.
@RightCoaster Can unused 529 money roll over into an IRA? Probably not, but if it is was possible, that would be a great start to retirement fund.
@STEM2017 —not that I know of, but an intriguing idea. AFAIK, money can be held for up to 30 years in 529 and ownership can be transferred to a sibling or grandchild, if not used for grad school. The 30 year limit may be one imposed by my administrator and not by the gov’t.
Similar gown story here, robes used to be by gender, but not any longer. There are tassels for various honors societies. Val/Sal speak and there’s only one of each, based on non-weighted GPA. Old-fashioned 100-based GPAs here still. Top 10% is typically between 95.x and 99.x UW. Seniors vote on a faculty speaker.
The talk of grad gown colors and stigma brought back a suppressed middle school memory – swim class. The girls used school-provided swimsuits that were re-used throughout the day. They were color-coded – by size! Talk about stigma, and ick-factor too. Imagine putting on a wet swimsuit that had been worn by 5 or 6 other people that day.
@STEM2017, my understanding is the same as @CT1417 described above. I know some people use it for the purpose of legacy and intend to keep passing down for generations.
@stencils --ICK on the swim suits. I find it bad enough when my son brings home the XC/Track uniform each season.
And, yes, that was terrible to color code by size.
@BelknapPoint Any thoughts on the question I posed in post #28744 above, regarding rolling 529 money to an IRA?
Thanks
529 plans can only be rolled over to another 529 plan?
@RightCoaster I look forward to hearing about how your talk goes with your son! It’s nice to receive unexpected merit and it does change the conversation!
529 Plans @STEM2017 No, you cannot roll over money into an IRA, and yes @VickiSoCal you can roll over from one plan to another. @CT1417 Also, you can transfer without penalty to any child or descendants of those children, siblings, include step-siblings, cousins, parents or grandparents, step-parents, nieces and nephews, in-laws, spouse of anyone listed here.
Thanks @Fishnlines29 !
@Fishnlines29 — thanks. Have already executed a transfer between brothers. The only bit I was unsure of was my mention of a 30 year limit. I did not know if that was a rule of my plan or of 529s in general.
@CT1417 I’m fairly certain they are indefinite.
529 plans can be used for another child or can be passed on to next generation. I told my S if he doesn’t use 529 funds those will be part of his inheritance (imagine those funds growing another 25 years tax free). Given that we didn’t stash 250K+ and he is planning to go Medical school, that’s highly unlikely. Only way is getting full tuition for med school!
@MSU88CHEng, I really like the idea of kids going into the military getting a special sash for their branch (in addition to the other various sashes). I hope those kids get a lot of thank you’s.
@RightCoaster, I know where you’re coming from. D and I are also having those final choice conversations.
@sdl0625, the WSJ article you linked to is paywalled—can you give a brief summary?
nm ~O)
@dfbdfb What’s Worse Than Waiting to Hear From Colleges? Getting Interrogated About It
As anxious high-school seniors await admissions letters, they face a barrage of questions from adults, forcing them to employ avoidance strategies; ‘How did you do on the SATs?’