Graduation: Tossing the Caps

[chicago51]

So last night I attended my brothers HS graduation at my alma matter Ridgewood HS in Norridge, I'LL just outside of Chicago. The ceremony was pretty typical of a HS graduation. Apparently though the administration and faculty asked the students to throw their caps at the end of the ceremony. Well students did anyways and now the school is withholding the diplomas which where supposed to be picked up next week at some point. The diplomas will be withheld until representives (who is suppose to step up from the class is beyond me) from the Senoir class make a public apology.

I find this totally odd. I never of heard of banning cap throwing. I attended my college graduation ceremony and they made no such request although we didn't throw ours for some reason. I think though rather one considers it disrespectful or not these seems real immature and childish on the school and the school board's part. Especially when you consider my brother and his class mates graduated in the eyes of the state of Illinois the school is just withholding a piece a paper to make a point.

Ridgewood to withhold diplomas pending class apology | Norridge-Harwood Heights News

So of the Chicago morning news broadcast picked up the story as well.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Example 7494794498749874 of why high school is so stupid.

immature and childish on the school and the school board's part.

bingo.

 

[BabyIrish]

Our school asked us not to throw the caps, mainly because our caps and gown were not ours, we had to give them back at the end of the ceremony. We only got to keep our tassels. Of course some threw their caps and I actually got hit just below the eye, those things pack a punch.
The school board is way out of line imo.

 

[irishog77]

I'm just glad they nixed the idea of tossing the salads.

 

[dublinirish]

aha in Ireland only girls wear caps when they receive their college degrees. This was because back in the day this was a "cap" on their education and they were banned from studying for a Masters or PhD. The women only cap tradition still continues to this day though.

 

[Irish#1]

So last night I attended my brothers HS graduation at my alma matter Ridgewood HS in Norridge, I'LL just outside of Chicago. The ceremony was pretty typical of a HS graduation. Apparently though the administration and faculty asked the students to throw their caps at the end of the ceremony. Well students did anyways and now the school is withholding the diplomas which where supposed to be picked up next week at some point. The diplomas will be withheld until representives (who is suppose to step up from the class is beyond me) from the Senoir class make a public apology.

I find this totally odd. I never of heard of banning cap throwing. I attended my college graduation ceremony and they made no such request although we didn't throw ours for some reason. I think though rather one considers it disrespectful or not these seems real immature and childish on the school and the school board's part. Especially when you consider my brother and his class mates graduated in the eyes of the state of Illinois the school is just withholding a piece a paper to make a point.

Ridgewood to withhold diplomas pending class apology | Norridge-Harwood Heights News

So of the Chicago morning news broadcast picked up the story as well.

My kids graduated between 92-05. They were always instructed not to throw their caps (rentals) or they would withhold the diploma. Kids did anyway and kids got diplomas.

 

[Cackalacky]

We were told not to throw ours as well (rentals also) however that did not stop anyone and there were even a few bullets shot into the air at them (like skeet). LOL.

dublinirish..... interesting story. Women can get PhDs now right?

 

[PANDFAN]

my high school still has my diploma, they said i owed a textbook but i had turned it in...oh well...is it really a big deal they don't get their diploma??? who has their high school diploma hanging up????


HOWEVER dick move on the high school

 

[dublinirish]

We were told not to throw ours as well (rentals also) however that did not stop anyone and there were even a few bullets shot into the air at them (like skeet). LOL.

dublinirish..... interesting story. Women can get PhDs now right?

yeah they can now. i think it was a really old tradition or possibly an urban legend. you still here of some feminists who will refuse to wear the caps though. Wimmin eh?

 

[GowerND11]

I was part of the last graduating class from my school. The Diocese didn't really want us open anymore. Let's just say those in charge do not see people from my area as having any value. One of the ongoing battles was between Diocesan higher ups and our principal. She was a lay person, and was just amazing. She knew every single student, she would sit with us at lunch, sit with students at basketball games, etc. They treated her like garbage, and on the day of our graduation she was informed by the Diocese that she would not be delivering her graduation speech.

When myself and a few friends heard the news we immediately wrote a speech of our own about the injustice and that we wanted her to speak. The class president agreed he would give the speech on stage while he was there leading us in the turning of the tassels. He did so. When he read the speech, the President of the school, a priest, turned red with anger. He was never a fan of our principal. Needless to say we gave a standing ovation, as did our parents, for her to speak.

We also were instructed not to throw our caps. Again we ignored this, what were they going to do, shut down our school? haha. Too late for that. Anyway, after the ceremony our President caught up with Jackson, our class president, and began screaming at his demanding an apology. He also stated the diploma will be held and that he will notify the university Jackson was attending to let them know he did not meet his requirements to graduate. I overheard this and I, along with about 5 friends, went over and demanded our diplomas be held as well since we wrote the speech and were behind it. Parents became involved soon thereafter and we received our diplomas the next week as scheduled.

 

[IrishLion]

I guess it's the new norm to tell graduating seniors not to throw their caps? My high school did the same thing... our principle threatened to hold our diplomas if we did it, but we threw them anyway. His face got red, but we still got our diplomas.

Don't understand why schools hate tradition so much (shoutout to NDNation!!!).

 

[dublinirish]

why do they even have kids wear caps and gowns at HS grads anyway?? I don't see the point

 

[Cackalacky]

why do they even have kids wear caps and gowns at HS grads anyway?? I don't see the point

Its significance lies somewhere in the realm of letting the parents know that a $20,00-$100,000 bar tab is on the way.

 

[ulukinatme]

It makes sense from an injury standpoint not to throw caps....but how many cap throwing injuries have really occurred over the last 50 years?

Reps to Chicago for the story and GowND...screw the people behind those decisions.

 

[dublinirish]

Its significance lies somewhere in the realm of letting the parents know that a $20,00-$100,000 bar tab is on the way.

haha i remember at my HS grad/cermony whatever basically we went up on stage one by one to shake hands with the principal and then you walked out of the school building and en-masse straight to the local bar. On my way out my Dad put a 50 in my hand for the first round for me and my mates. I was just 17 years old then. Good times!

 

[IrishSteelhead]

We were threatened with menial work like cleaning graffiti off desks and lockers if we were caught throwing our hats. Tons of people threw them, nothing happened.

 

[ACamp1900]

Everyone threw their caps at mine, and my graduating class was well over 1,000 people... though I doubt that many were at the actual ceremony.. anyway.

 

[Ndaccountant]

I believe there have been some lawsuits over the years with injuries to students. I even think Yale was sued many years ago (I think 30+), which is what started this "no tossing" movement.

I think it's bogus myself and withholding goes a little far.

 

[chicago51]

Update: My parents got a phone call from the school. Negative publicity was drawing unwanted attention to the school.

Diplomas will be mailed to my brother and the rest of the Seniors on schedule. No public apologies by students necessary.

 

[BobD]

Withholding diplomas must be the in thing this year.

Diplomas Withheld after Students Take Selfies during Graduation Walk | KTXL FOX40

 

[Cackalacky]

On one hand it is a formal ceremony commemorating lots of hard work and effort put in by all the staff and students and signals the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of another chapter, so I see the need for respect, and submission to rules designed to have a quality ceremony. So sit there, STFU and listen to your teachers and peers talk for the last time. No selfies, no gabbing, no disruptions. Be a f'in adult for 3 hours. Then you can go on summer vaca and be a whore and party.

On the other hand, half of the people in that place probably made your life hellish for a while, so I see no problem getting together with the small group of people that made your life good and celebrating in the moment. I would have loved to troll some of my teachers and my principal.

 

[dublinirish]

the US system whereby HS award graduations based on different merits and have the ability to deny/withhold a kid's grad always seems kinda wierd to me. Here we do state-run exams every June to qualify for college places and its common for kids to "drop out" in the last month of school to study independently on their own/with private tutors/grind schools. From my experience too for seniors the last day of school was always announced suddenly for them so they had no way to "plan" their last day/acts of vandalism or whatever

 

[BobD]

The ceremony while important to the school and parents IS ABOUT THE KIDS.

Let the kids decide how they want the ceremony to go down.

 

[zelezo vlk]

The ceremony while important to the school and parents IS ABOUT THE KIDS.

Let the kids decide how they want the ceremony to go down.

Have you talked to a mother of a graduating student recently? It's all for the moms. That's how my mom put it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[Cackalacky]

The ceremony while important to the school and parents IS ABOUT THE KIDS.

Let the kids decide how they want the ceremony to go down.

Yeah... I am not going to get into what would happen if my school let the kids decide how to celebrate.

I will only say it would make the Redneck Olympics seem legit.

 

[GoIrish41]

On one hand it is a formal ceremony commemorating lots of hard work and effort put in by all the staff and students and signals the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of another chapter, so I see the need for respect, and submission to rules designed to have a quality ceremony. So sit there, STFU and listen to your teachers and peers talk for the last time. No selfies, no gabbing, no disruptions. Be a f'in adult for 3 hours. Then you can go on summer vaca and be a whore and party.

On the other hand, half of the people in that place probably made your life hellish for a while, so I see no problem getting together with the small group of people that made your life good and celebrating in the moment. I would have loved to troll some of my teachers and my principal.

I can see both sides as well. But these people are 17 or 18 years old and they are probably more likely to lean toward your second paragraph than the first.

 

[Cackalacky]

I can see both sides as well. But these people are 17 or 18 years old and they are probably more likely to lean toward your second paragraph than the first.

No doubt. We had a huge lake party before the graduation ceremony.

 

[GoIrish41]

No doubt. We had a huge lake party before the graduation ceremony.

I'm too old to remember what I did after graduation, let alone before graduation.

 

[nlroma1o]

In general, I think just about all high schools tell the students that same blind threat now. My high school told us that and Id say that about half of the 175 kids in my class threw their caps. The school didn't do a damn thing and I don't think they ever had the intention of doing anything. I think its simply an attempt to try and manage the chaos of the moment.

The fact the school actually went as far as demanding an apology is hilarious. The officials there need to fukin get over themselves. And as long as the state says you graduated, who the hell cares about that piece of paper. Its just high school. When my dog was a puppy she got into a box in my closet, and she shredded my high school diploma, and I think i through it in the garbage.

 

[ulukinatme]

Theres a real easy solution to the "no cap throwing" BS. Start making the caps with rounded corners!