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High School Graduation Party questions


amyx4
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So, ds#1 is having high school graduation party. He won't be attending any sort of homeschooled high school graduation ceremony. (His choice) However, the week after the party, he will earn an associates degree at the local CC. He will attend that ceremony.

 

The majority of the party won't be homeschooled teens or families. It's friends from the neighborhood, or sports, or clubs that he's been a part of. Only 2-4 families that homeschooled will be there.

 

So, as a parent, did you give a little speech? Was there any formal part to the party? His friends are sweet  and funny and have been dying to know if "his parents really give him a diploma?"

 

Finally, lots of people at the party don't know he's earned his associates. (His request) He didn't want anyone treating him different because he went to college early. Three years ago, the local CC had 1 public schooled student earn an associates degree. So it's rare.  The local CC just notified him in the last 2 weeks that he could walk.  So, he would like me to just order a second cake with the info for the associates degree. Does that sound ok?  

 

He's going on to earn his bachelor's this fall.   Thanks

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DS18 graduated from CC with his associates degree a couple of weeks ago and from high school this past Saturday. He was in a public early college high school program. We had a very casual lunch for family and friends after his CC graduation. No speeches, nothing formal at all. We didn' even have a cake but instead opted for his favorite dessert (Oreo pudding). But everyone knew he was getting his AS (it's not all that unusual around here so not a huge deal really), we're very low key introverts and so casual/informal/laid back is what feels right to us.. What's right for your DS, you and the rest of your family may be entirely different. Do whatever feels right.

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My dd walked across our deck and received her diploma in cap and gown at her party  :laugh:

 

 

We have quite the 'redneck deck' going on, so we rigged up curtains out of king sheets to cover most of it and create a walkway and background. When we moved on to the party aspect, we simply tied those up so we could use the entire deck.

 

Her dad and her uncle both gave speeches (and maybe cried a little). We had a sign that listed all her schools - homeschool primary & high school (they had names), and her dual enrollment university. We had a big banner from the university she chose to attend. 

 

I think the cake with his associates degree info would be just fine. 

 

After some discussion on this board, we sent the invites with separate times noted for ceremony and party, mostly so people would know to walk in quietly if they arrived during the ceremony. 

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We toasted the graduate.  At that time, my husband made a short speech about hard work and best wishes for the future.  Toasts on special occasions are normal in our family so this didn't embarrass anyone.  You could do a toast when you brought out the cake.  (That is when we usually do it.)  I think a surprise announcement of the AA degree via a second cake is a really fun idea.  A second toast and speech to follow it up would be fun and make everyone laugh.  I gathered as much of the graduate's reading list as I could on a shelf and stuck up a variety of photos and paperwork on a bulletin board for people to look at, if they wanted.  People who were curious about how homeschooling worked spent time studying the projects, drawings, papers, and paperwork.  The people who had been involved all along enjoyed looking at the pictures.  It marked the occasion but didn't embarrass the graduate.  I have a really cute picture of middle one and his best friend clinking wine glasses of milk over the cake.  (It was chocolate and eating chocolate cake without washing it down with a glass of milk is hard for our family grin.)

 

Nan

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We do a party with a short "commencement" after the first half hour (I indicate this on our announcements). My kids' guitar teacher provides jazzy background music for the first half hour. We have an opening prayer, a short talk from our pastor (5 minutes), special music (I loved that DS played for his because he doesn't like to do anything public. DD does, and she has 3 songs planned), I read a very short letter from dh and I, and we present the diploma and close in prayer. Short and meaningful to us. Carry on with eating and having fun! 

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Diamond didn't want any ceremony or speeches, neither does SweetChild. We just had a party, and the parent-issued diploma is/will be on display at a table by the photo slideshow.

 

SweetChild has requested cookies rather than cake. No graduation gowns or anything, just food and friends!

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Graduation parties are popular here.  They're generally open houses, so people come and go.  There is no big speech or presentation.  But what graduates generally do, is they stand right inside at the entrance (often with a parent or two but not necessarily) and shake hands and greet everyone personally as they arrive.

 

Then there is food and some pics to look at (although we were never big on displaying stuff), and places to sit and eat and chat.

 

All of my kids were involved in music and the arts, so we did an additional thing of having an open mic in one area where anyone could stand up and play a song or sing or whatever they wanted.  (We put that on the invitation.)  We always had several different kids playing music at least in the background throughout the open house.

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