Graduation Ceremony

[Ma Bear Up North]

My DD is graduating this spring from HS and I was wondering what others have done for their children at this momentous time of their lives( & ours!):auto:

[Julie in CA]

My DD is graduating this spring from HS and I was wondering what others have done for their children at this momentous time of their lives( & ours!):auto:

:lurk5:

Isn't it exciting? I'm graduating my first homeschooled student out of my 5 dc. It's a little bittersweet imo, where did all of that time go?

 

At the same time, whew! It's been a journey, hasn't it?

 

I haven't yet figured out how to mark the occasion. My ds wants to have a party, but not have a specific ceremony, and while I'd like to honor his desires for his graduation, it's *MY* success too, doggone it!! I want a ceremony! :D

 

We'll probably settle on a combination of the two--a big party with a 5 minute ceremony to present the diploma. As for the party, we might go all-out hokey for such a special occasion! We've never been to a sock-hop, but think it might be fun. 'Ya know, poodle skirts, saddle shoes, young men in white t's with slicked back hair, appropriate music & dancing, and a soda-fountain setup. 'Yep, hokey as it gets, I know...:tongue_smilie:

 

I have a feeling you're asking about something more formal than what we have loosely planned, and I'll be watching to see what other people post about what they've done.

[TxMama]

I graduated my oldest last Spring. He did not want to participate in any of the local graduations ceremonies or have anything formal. We went out to eat at an upscale restaurant with extended family and presented him with his diploma at that time. We choose a restuarant with a view and several "photo-op" spots . We have a friend who was gracious enough to photograph the event so we have some excellent photographs. He was genuinely surprised that he received gifts for this occasion.

 

I'm curious what my DD will desire for her graduation. She has also decided not to participate in any local graduations and wants her graduation to be the weekend after her 18th birthday.

[missplacedalaskan]

Dd will be graduating NEXT year and I have already started thinking about this. I am thinking we will do a small family gathering and present her her diploma. We want to do something BIG for her gift though. We met & dated in Germany when I was in High School and were thinking it would be wonderful to take her on a trip to Germany for her gift.

 

I'll be following along to see what others are doing for their Dc.

[hsmamainva]

My oldest will be graduating this spring also. There's a large homeschool group about 40 minutes away from us and we plan on participating in their graduation ceremony. I believe there are around 15 seniors, so it will be small, but it will be an actual ceremony, with a reception afterward.

 

My family and the dh's family are planning on attending.

 

Then, my MIL and 2 of my SIL's are going on a cruise to the Caribbean in late June and they're taking my daughter as a graduation present!! So I'm sure she's going to have a wonderful time.

[Jenny in Florida]

We'll probably settle on a combination of the two--a big party with a 5 minute ceremony to present the diploma.

 

I suspect I may have talked about this before. If so, I apologize for repeating myself!

 

We graduated my daughter when she was preparing to go off to college. She had known for some time that what she wanted to do was rent the social hall at our church and have a "formal" party. So, that's more or less what we did. Rather than have the party during the regular graduation season in spring, though, we opted to wait and do it at the end of the summer, just before she left for college.

 

We bought her a full-length gown and noted on the invitations that guests were "invited" to dress up as much as they wished. We invited her friends and also family friends who had been significant to her over the years, including mentors and teachers from church and her choir director and so on. We had a casual buffet of all of her favorite snack foods, and she and my husband collaborated to put together a playlist for the evening that included all of her favorite showtunes.

 

I put together three showboards (like the kind you use for science fair presentations?): one with photos of her homeschooling career, one with photos of all of her performing arts experiences, and one with photos and maps and information about the college to which she was headed. We also put on display visual presentations that my daughter had done for her final projects in two classes that year. That was great, because these gave guests something to talk about and gave us a chance to show off some of her accomplishments.

 

My husband assembled a balloon arch (like the ones they always have at proms and such) with balloons in colors of my daughter's choosing. We took pictures of her with all of her guests--both group shots and individuals. We decorated the tables with more balloons and graduation-themed rubber duckies. (My daughter loves rubber duckies.) We had tons of small ones for guests to take home and also three very large duckies that sat on the buffet table. (I had to make the mortar boards for those. That was fun.)

 

We asked people not to bring gifts, but of course a few folks did, anyway. We also set up a table on which we provided various kinds of pretty paper and blank cards and stickers and pens of various types and colors and asked guests to write a note for our daughter to take with her to school. The idea was that, if she got homesick or overwhelmed, she'd have these little notes reminding her of the people at home who love her. That was a big hit. (And our daughter did, indeed, appreciate those notes during her first semester.)

 

For most of the evening, we kept things very casual. People ate and chatted and looked over the displays. The kids danced and sang along with the music. (My daughter's friends are mostly theatre geeks.)

 

Once everyone was there, though, we did the actual ceremony. My husband and I joined our daughter on the little stage at the front of the hall, and I made a completely insipid little speech. We asked the guests to hum "Pomp and Circumstance," and we presented her with the diploma. Instead of giving a speech, herself, my daughter opted to sing "Good Morning, Baltimore" from "Hairspray," which is one of her favorites and seemed oddly appropriate for the occasion.

 

Then we all went back to singing and dancing and talking and eating.

 

It was really nice and a great send-off for her.

[Sandy in Indy]

My ds will participate in the state-wide hs ceremony where Dr. Wile will present his diploma. Earlier in the month, dd will graduate from college. So, the day after the hs graduation, we're having one BIG reception for both of them. (They've said they don't mind sharing.)

[Nestof3]

We rented the fellowship hall at a local church, had it catered by that church's staff (same lady who catered our wedding), and my dear friend Cecilia (daiychics) gave us the wonderful gift of a photo montage set to music with over 100 photos.

 

After lunch and the montage, my husband and I both gave "speeches," invited others to come up to say a few words, and then Aaron gave a "speech." In conclusion, we invited Aaron up to receive his diploma and then invited anyone who wished to come up and pray for him.

 

It was a unique event because his biological mom and her side of the family was there as well as my husband's and mine. We also had many friends. At the start, my husband introduced Aaron's bio. mom, her side of the family, his family, and then mine. It was a nice way for everyone to figure out the "who's who" of our blended family.

 

We had about 100 people, so we needed a decent amount of space.

 

Our was in November because he graduated 6 months late.