Cheering at Graduation Leads to Arrest, Diplomas Being Withheld

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Good!

My graduating class had like 750 people in it. It was already a tedious affair.

The worst part was the jag off families who needed to interrupt the flow of names being read so they could give their half baked kid his 3 seconds. Most often I think there was a correlation between kids for whom this would be the most significant achievement/moment in their lives and the people who yelled.

I would have cheered if those parents would have been arrested at my grad.

750 people in a graduating class doesn't really imply noteworthy academic achievement regardless of what any kind of standardized testing might imply.

Bearing in mind the fact that in the grander scheme of life it might sometimes seem insignificant, and the value of the accreditation has (naturally) been devalued over the years, I would argue achieving a high school diploma still has a well regarded social value. After all, with the abolishing of zeros as marks and the U of A's inglorious take on the grade curve, perhaps soon the only part of high school left is learning how to wear a funny gown for one day and having your family holler at you.

But don't get me wrong, I'm all for the cheering. I just wish that more graduates (including myself) actually deserved it.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

750 people in a graduating class doesn't really imply noteworthy academic achievement regardless of what any kind of standardized testing might imply.

Bearing in mind the fact that in the grander scheme of life it might sometimes seem insignificant, and the value of the accreditation has (naturally) been devalued over the years, I would argue achieving a high school diploma still has a well regarded social value. After all, with the abolishing of zeros as marks and the U of A's inglorious take on the grade curve, perhaps soon the only part of high school left is learning how to wear a funny gown for one day and having your family holler at you.

But don't get me wrong, I'm all for the cheering. I just wish that more graduates (including myself) actually deserved it.

Honestly it isn't actually about the signifigance of the achievement. It is about the fact that the kid who is behind in line to the screamers gets his ceremony ruined because of the people being inconsiderate and yelling.

If they wanted to institute a policy where they wouldn't read the next name until the cheering is done, then fine. But that's obviously not how any graduating class operates. They begin to read the next name immediately after. It would also mean the ceremony might take 8 hours.

[kirant]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

At my grad they said the same thing "please hold all celebrations until the end". Yeah, that lasted all of 1 person. Parents and students were cheering.

To arrest someone for this is about the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Maybe their kid is a complete monkey and celebrating their "achievement" is really big in the family.

My grad had a similar policy. Given we had a fairly small graduating class (~300 I think), it was fairly well upheld, with only polite applause being offered with exception of a couple of the "popular students" getting cheers and shouting from friends. Maybe it's just the vocal minority screwing things up and having more of them in a larger ceremony makes things harder to control.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Is high school graduation really that big of a deal anyways? Hooray, you've proven you're a half way competent human being. The school system does everything in it's power to get those diplomas in kid's hands.

Did you see that kid try and read in the video? For some of these people High School is the best its ever going to get.

I agree with you, I didnt give a rat's ass at my High School graduation, I was already accepted to University so it was no big deal, but hell, they have celebrations for graduating Jr. High!

[Montana Moe]

They had a Kindergarten grad celebration at my kids' school last week. We were doing keg stands in the back row.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Is high school graduation really that big of a deal anyways? Hooray, you've proven you're a half way competent human being. The school system does everything in it's power to get those diplomas in kid's hands.

Those are exactly my thoughts.

"Congratulations for doing something everybody is supposed to do. Here is a cookie."

[keenan87]

I also think that the ceremony should only be for those who really deserve it. In my graduating class of 350, we had 30-40 people who had achieved honors all throughout high school.

What about something like:
1) walking the stage and having a more personalized ceremony for those with lifetime honors
2) having an evening dinner which where at the beginning acknowledging every student graduating (a picture and the name of each student on a big screen) and therefore no one feels left out.
3) Anyone with an under 65 percent average can pick up their diploma on later date from the office.

[WhiteTiger]

I watched that one video with the kid reading, and my first thought was "How in the hell did he graduate with such poor reading skills?"

Then I remembered that he is a 'star' football player, and it all clicked into place.

[YYC in LAX]

Originally Posted by keenan87

I also think that the ceremony should only be for those who really deserve it. In my graduating class of 350, we had 30-40 people who had achieved honors all throughout high school.

3) Anyone with an under 65 percent average can pick up their diploma on later date from the office.

I strongly disagree with your opinion. Sounds pretty shallow to me.

Regarding the main topic, arrest is a bit extreme IMO, but parents, friends, and family should respect other graduates so their names can be heard when called during the ceremony. The ceremonies are always long and typically have a large numbers of graduates so the whole, no cheering thing makes sense to me.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

Is high school graduation really that big of a deal anyways? Hooray, you've proven you're a half way competent human being. The school system does everything in it's power to get those diplomas in kid's hands.

No kidding. If I could do it over again, I wouldn't attend my high school graduation. Even at age 17, I felt genuinely sorry for the subset of my classmates (and their families) who were acting like finishing HS was in any way a meaningful accomplishment.

[keenan87]

Originally Posted by YYC in LAX

I strongly disagree with your opinion. Sounds pretty shallow to me.

Regarding the main topic, arrest is a bit extreme IMO, but parents, friends, and family should respect other graduates so their names can be heard when called during the ceremony. The ceremonies are always long and typically have a large numbers of graduates so the whole, no cheering thing makes sense to me.

I am not sure how it is shallow, you work hard and put in effort you should get rewarded. If you wasted your time smoking and doing drugs in high school, well how is that fair either?

HS graduation for many is a big deal and walking the stage should be something you earned, not something that is just given to you.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

I don't recall anyone cheering for me when I crossed the stage, but I know we sure cheered loud for my brother - who survived childhood cancer - despite being warned not to. Screw them. If they want to make an issue of it, then the school better be prepared to lawyer up.

I would probably get a second opinion if I was warned to not survive childhood cancer.

[YYC in LAX]

Originally Posted by keenan87

I am not sure how it is shallow, you work hard and put in effort you should get rewarded. If you wasted your time smoking and doing drugs in high school, well how is that fair either?

HS graduation for many is a big deal and walking the stage should be something you earned, not something that is just given to you.

So you're saying that only those with honour grades have earned their diploma or right to walk the stage?

Also, how is a graduation ceremony a reward? I didn't care about it that much. Clearly you do.Your reward as an honour student is the high likelihood of getting into whatever course you want in post-secondary and scholarships.

EDIT: Just saying, I think the student with a 60% average has just as much right to attend the graduation ceremony as the student with the 95% average.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by keenan87

I am not sure how it is shallow, you work hard and put in effort you should get rewarded. If you wasted your time smoking and doing drugs in high school, well how is that fair either?

Most honour students I knew in HS (including me) slacked off and didn't work hard at all to get good grades. We didn't have to put in any effort because the curriculum was so easy for us. Conversely, I knew a few people who really struggled and had to work very hard just to get a minimum passing grade in mandatory courses like English and Math.

[keenan87]

Originally Posted by YYC in LAX

So you're saying that only those with honour grades have earned their diploma or right to walk the stage?

Also, how is a graduation ceremony a reward? I didn't care about it that much. Your reward as an honour student is the high likelihood of getting into whatever course you want in post-secondary and scholarships.

Yes, in a way that is exactly what I am saying. The reason why I am saying this is because they were more successful academically than other students. I'm not saying they are better people, but just better at one facet of life which is school. An example of this would be the NHL all star game, where 1200 players play hockey but only a select few are the best.

I think these students should get more of a personalized ceremony where each student is talked about separately and it gives the student a sense of accomplishment for all of their hard work.

As for the other students, I am not saying totally take them out and I might have been a bit extreme with students not attaining an above 65 average. All I am saying is at the dinner party, these students are acknowledged one by one with just their names prior to the dinner.

I think these students need to figure out that they have achieved what they wanted but there is still more potential in them to go even higher. It gives them a sense that nothing is going to come easy when they leave HS and it may provide them with some motivation for the future.

As for the people who were failing or failed to meet the requirements, I am not sure what we can do about them.

All I am saying is that when you get a diploma, you should be proud of yourself because you did spend 13 years of schooling for it. There should also be prestige added to it just to give those who deserved it more a better sense of achievement.

As for the people who have gotten honors and being able to get scholarships and attend any universities, there are a lot of people who simply cannot afford going to those universities. As for scholarships, most high standard scholarships require an average of 90%, however, most honor students fall between 80 and 90.

[keenan87]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Most honour students I knew in HS (including me) slacked off and didn't work hard at all to get good grades. We didn't have to put in any effort because the curriculum was so easy for us. Conversely, I knew a few people who really struggled and had to work very hard just to get a minimum passing grade in mandatory courses like English and Math.

There are also those that spend countless hours studying and achieving the grades they want while most students not at their level arent doing anything at all. You can spin this both ways and this is why I think the evening party should be for the rest of the student body.

If the curriculum is so easy, why don't most people just get better grades and not struggle. I understand some people have it difficult but like I said, they might be good at something else that no one else can compare to.

[kirant]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Most honour students I knew in HS (including me) slacked off and didn't work hard at all to get good grades. We didn't have to put in any effort because the curriculum was so easy for us. Conversely, I knew a few people who really struggled and had to work very hard just to get a minimum passing grade in mandatory courses like English and Math.

I completely agree. The honour class I had (myself included) barely attempted most courses. All I remember from Chem 30 was playing calculator games and recording notes once every 20 minutes. The guy sitting beside me for that class was working his ass off and got a 65, while a buddy of mine didn't bother attending classes and breezed through with a 90 (I forgot my own mark).

[keenan87]

Originally Posted by kirant

I completely agree. The honour class I had (myself included) barely attempted most courses. All I remember from Chem 30 was playing calculator games and recording notes once every 20 minutes. The guy sitting beside me for that class was working his ass off and got a 65, while a buddy of mine didn't bother attending classes and breezed through with a 90 (I forgot my own mark).

To me that just means that you have previously acquired the skills and knowledge needed to master the concepts that were being taught. Intelligence isn't really gentically based and neither is it inspiration.

I am not putting down the people getting the lower marks who were working their butts off but they are in the minority. I am just trying to add some prestige and a new element to graduating as I for one worked my butt off and it was definitely not genetics or inspiration for me. I made it through fine and I am not saying I am a better person than your friend who got a 65, just better at one small element in life.

I am sure if he was going to the Olympics for swimming, he wouldn't want me joining him at the same level if I swim for fun every two weeks.

[WCan_Kid]

Wow. A few people in this thread really need to get over themselves. Putting down someone elses accomplishments to make yours seem grander is not an admirable trait.

Ever think that, for some, graduating from HS might be a family first and/or a pretty big accomplishment for other reasons? Easy to see both sides of this debate, time and respect for others vs excitement and pride is a tough line to walk.

[MarchHare]

All I am saying is that when you get a diploma, you should be proud of yourself because you did spend 13 years of schooling for it. There should also be prestige added to it just to give those who deserved it more a better sense of achievement.

I don't feel I deserved my diploma more than any of my classmates. As I said, getting good grades was something that came easy to me (and many others I knew at the time). I didn't study hard or work my ass off or make any kind of effort beyond the absolute minimum required (completing assignments on time). I rarely did homework unless it was mandatory and we were being graded on it. I was a huge slacker in high school yet still made the honour list, graduated in the top 10% of my class, and was accepted to my first choice university with a scholarship.

So how was my "achievement" in any way more deserving than the guy who really struggled academically and had to work his butt off just to get a 60% passing grade? I had a friend who was absolutely brilliant at the technical and vocational courses (shop, wood working, metal working, auto mechanics, etc.) but stuggled in the more academic-oriented classes (math, science, history, etc.) despite studying much harder than I ever did. He even failed grade 12 English -- a course that was mandatory for graduation -- twice. His parents had to hire a private tutor for him just so he could complete HS. If there's anyone who deserves special recognition for graduating high school (an "achievement" that is all but meaningless, IMO), it's people like him who really had to push themselves just to meet the minimum standards.

I was a huge slacker in HS, but you think I should have received special, personalized recognition at a dinner party because academic achievement came easily to me. Meanwhile, my friend worked harder than most of our graduating class just to get the minimum passing grade in a few mandatory courses, but you don't think he's "worthy" of the same recognition?