Unity at Graduation
BY REBECCA ZHANG '22
Side by side, shoulder to shoulder, they march forward. The cadence of thunderous applause carries them to their seats, blue robes swinging rhythmically around their feet. A sea of navy, cap-shaped silhouettes ripple across the field; glistening tassels—gold and white—chase after them. Twelve seemingly endless and grueling years escalate to this final moment as over four hundred individuals become one, united by a newfound anticipation for the future, distinguished only by fond memories of the past. Graduation. The happiest time of the year.
Across the United States, high school graduation is largely characterized by a crowd of identical gowns complemented with embellished caps and honor cords. However, while most seniors at ABRHS look forward to decorating their caps, their graduation ceremony excludes honor cords. Spectrum advisor, Ms. Hammond, has embodied the spirit of graduation, as she has been deeply involved in planning the ceremony since 2014. She chooses to picture the seniors as “taking off together,” and believes honor cords too strongly represent “markers of grades and levels.” Still, at other schools, decorating caps are banned for a similar reason. While varying graduation policies all push for solidarity, the prohibition of different traditions brings into question whether unity is more important than individuality.
Both honor cords and decorating caps are relatively modern traditions in graduation. Modern academic regalia originates from 12th century Europe, when similar attire was worn to distinguish clergymen. Graduates soon adopted this practice, and by the 1700s, caps and gowns spread to several renowned American universities, including Brown, Columbia and Princeton. In 1894, the American Intercollegiate Commission standardized academic dress “to provide an outward equality among schools,” according to Valerie Strauss from The Washington Post. Regardless of these early efforts to preserve unity at graduation, academic regalia slowly diversified over time as individualized caps and honor cords became part of the tradition.
In the 1990s, decorating caps became a popular tradition in both high school and college graduations. Originally used to quickly identify a student within crowds, decorated caps later developed into a method to express personalities and future aspirations. At AB, many students participate in this tradition, exploring a large variety of decorations. Some decorate their caps with college decisions, while others choose to reminisce about their high school experiences. Indeed, decorating caps is a tradition that many students look forward to; Ashley Liu ‘22 anticipates decorating her cap with flowers or a monochrome theme, maintaining her belief that personalizing her cap “is a way to make graduation more memorable.” While attire still remains generally identical, small distinctions like these allow each individual to express themselves and their unique personalities during the graduation ceremony.
Evidently, even while decorating caps is an important tradition at AB, honor cords remain banned. Traditionally, honor cords are draped around graduates’ necks to acknowledge both academic and nonacademic achievements. Notably, gold cords depict National Honors Society membership, whereas red and grey cords are worn to show participation in the National Speech and Debate Association. However, ABRHS graduates do not wear honor cords in an effort to eliminate differences at graduation. Ms. Hammond affirms that “a lot of kids feel pressure throughout high school to be in the ‘right’ level of class,” but by “the point of graduation, though, those concerns are behind [us],” and at this moment, “all seniors are going somewhere.” Graduation brings students together; they all share a future to look forward to, regardless of classes and GPAs.
It has always been a beautiful, fulfilling moment to watch the seniors experience this significant moment in their lives, undeniably and entirely together. The competitive atmosphere at ABRHS often causes grades and tests to dominate our daily lives; we must cherish this final moment of unity. By graduation, students have spent at least six years, even over a decade, with some of their peers, yet some faces are still unfamiliar, and some names are unknown. Unfortunately, GPAs influence friend groups simply because students share more classes with those in similarly leveled courses. Cliques unconsciously form within each grade, keeping outward interaction to a minimum. At graduation, dressing identically finally overcomes these cliques, as friends, acquaintances, and strangers share a cherished experience.
Yet, something is different. Yes, some caps may be decorated. Yes, different shoes peek out underneath identical gowns. Still, something else is there. National Honor Society (NHS) members wear white tassels on their caps in replacement of yellow. A fairly small distinction, but still a distinction. While NHS eligibility certainly involves contributions beyond grades, members are required to maintain a 3.0 unweighted GPA, and most schools, including ABRHS, raise this minimum. Indeed, tassels pale in comparison to the size and potency of honor cords, but they still reinforce the same divisions that banning honor cords abolished. Thus, how is banning honor cords truly beneficial?
In fact, by prohibiting honor cords, high schools inhibit the same celebration of our achievements and individuality that decorating graduation caps encourage. Indications of grades should undoubtedly be avoided at the ABRHS graduation, but some honor cords simply represent participation in clubs or activities. Since I joined the Acton Boxborough Speech and Debate team, this extracurricular has largely influenced my experience as a high school student and molded my personality; from best friends to learning experiences, I am undeniably proud of my membership in this community. While some types of honor cords can certainly hurt graduation’s unified image, their absence also prevents smaller communities within a grade from celebrating their time together. Ultimately, prohibiting honor cords hinders students’ ability to express their individual experiences.
Regardless of whether or not honor cords should be banned, the prohibition of honor cords at AB accentuates a larger issue. In addition to personalization, honor cords allow students to recall their individual hard work and accomplishments. Today, in such a fast-paced society, people rarely pause to reflect. Immediately after one goal is reached, another is set. In the absence of self-appreciation, every day begins feeling identical, and motivation to continue working dwindles; celebration is crucial for the long-term mental health of adolescents. Unfortunately, in the competitive atmosphere at ABRHS, many hesitate to even speak of their successes. Some prefer not to share their academic accomplishments with others, as it “sort of perpetuates others’ view of [them] as a ‘smart person’” and nothing more. Others are cautious of sharing their success, hoping to avoid being compared. Of course, being sensitive to others is important, but the toxic environment forces students to suppress happy news in order to appease others.
Unity at graduation is undeniably critical, especially in our community. It allows seniors to enter a new and potentially intimidating phase of their lives together, and therefore, stronger. However, banning honor cords or decorating caps does not effectively ensure that seniors feel united at graduation; it simply enforces an appearance of solidarity. Ultimately, our accomplishments together should be acknowledged, but individual successes must be celebrated too (no cap).
Across the United States, high school graduation is largely characterized by a crowd of identical gowns complemented with embellished caps and honor cords. However, while most seniors at ABRHS look forward to decorating their caps, their graduation ceremony excludes honor cords. Spectrum advisor, Ms. Hammond, has embodied the spirit of graduation, as she has been deeply involved in planning the ceremony since 2014. She chooses to picture the seniors as “taking off together,” and believes honor cords too strongly represent “markers of grades and levels.” Still, at other schools, decorating caps are banned for a similar reason. While varying graduation policies all push for solidarity, the prohibition of different traditions brings into question whether unity is more important than individuality.
Both honor cords and decorating caps are relatively modern traditions in graduation. Modern academic regalia originates from 12th century Europe, when similar attire was worn to distinguish clergymen. Graduates soon adopted this practice, and by the 1700s, caps and gowns spread to several renowned American universities, including Brown, Columbia and Princeton. In 1894, the American Intercollegiate Commission standardized academic dress “to provide an outward equality among schools,” according to Valerie Strauss from The Washington Post. Regardless of these early efforts to preserve unity at graduation, academic regalia slowly diversified over time as individualized caps and honor cords became part of the tradition.
In the 1990s, decorating caps became a popular tradition in both high school and college graduations. Originally used to quickly identify a student within crowds, decorated caps later developed into a method to express personalities and future aspirations. At AB, many students participate in this tradition, exploring a large variety of decorations. Some decorate their caps with college decisions, while others choose to reminisce about their high school experiences. Indeed, decorating caps is a tradition that many students look forward to; Ashley Liu ‘22 anticipates decorating her cap with flowers or a monochrome theme, maintaining her belief that personalizing her cap “is a way to make graduation more memorable.” While attire still remains generally identical, small distinctions like these allow each individual to express themselves and their unique personalities during the graduation ceremony.
Evidently, even while decorating caps is an important tradition at AB, honor cords remain banned. Traditionally, honor cords are draped around graduates’ necks to acknowledge both academic and nonacademic achievements. Notably, gold cords depict National Honors Society membership, whereas red and grey cords are worn to show participation in the National Speech and Debate Association. However, ABRHS graduates do not wear honor cords in an effort to eliminate differences at graduation. Ms. Hammond affirms that “a lot of kids feel pressure throughout high school to be in the ‘right’ level of class,” but by “the point of graduation, though, those concerns are behind [us],” and at this moment, “all seniors are going somewhere.” Graduation brings students together; they all share a future to look forward to, regardless of classes and GPAs.
It has always been a beautiful, fulfilling moment to watch the seniors experience this significant moment in their lives, undeniably and entirely together. The competitive atmosphere at ABRHS often causes grades and tests to dominate our daily lives; we must cherish this final moment of unity. By graduation, students have spent at least six years, even over a decade, with some of their peers, yet some faces are still unfamiliar, and some names are unknown. Unfortunately, GPAs influence friend groups simply because students share more classes with those in similarly leveled courses. Cliques unconsciously form within each grade, keeping outward interaction to a minimum. At graduation, dressing identically finally overcomes these cliques, as friends, acquaintances, and strangers share a cherished experience.
Yet, something is different. Yes, some caps may be decorated. Yes, different shoes peek out underneath identical gowns. Still, something else is there. National Honor Society (NHS) members wear white tassels on their caps in replacement of yellow. A fairly small distinction, but still a distinction. While NHS eligibility certainly involves contributions beyond grades, members are required to maintain a 3.0 unweighted GPA, and most schools, including ABRHS, raise this minimum. Indeed, tassels pale in comparison to the size and potency of honor cords, but they still reinforce the same divisions that banning honor cords abolished. Thus, how is banning honor cords truly beneficial?
In fact, by prohibiting honor cords, high schools inhibit the same celebration of our achievements and individuality that decorating graduation caps encourage. Indications of grades should undoubtedly be avoided at the ABRHS graduation, but some honor cords simply represent participation in clubs or activities. Since I joined the Acton Boxborough Speech and Debate team, this extracurricular has largely influenced my experience as a high school student and molded my personality; from best friends to learning experiences, I am undeniably proud of my membership in this community. While some types of honor cords can certainly hurt graduation’s unified image, their absence also prevents smaller communities within a grade from celebrating their time together. Ultimately, prohibiting honor cords hinders students’ ability to express their individual experiences.
Regardless of whether or not honor cords should be banned, the prohibition of honor cords at AB accentuates a larger issue. In addition to personalization, honor cords allow students to recall their individual hard work and accomplishments. Today, in such a fast-paced society, people rarely pause to reflect. Immediately after one goal is reached, another is set. In the absence of self-appreciation, every day begins feeling identical, and motivation to continue working dwindles; celebration is crucial for the long-term mental health of adolescents. Unfortunately, in the competitive atmosphere at ABRHS, many hesitate to even speak of their successes. Some prefer not to share their academic accomplishments with others, as it “sort of perpetuates others’ view of [them] as a ‘smart person’” and nothing more. Others are cautious of sharing their success, hoping to avoid being compared. Of course, being sensitive to others is important, but the toxic environment forces students to suppress happy news in order to appease others.
Unity at graduation is undeniably critical, especially in our community. It allows seniors to enter a new and potentially intimidating phase of their lives together, and therefore, stronger. However, banning honor cords or decorating caps does not effectively ensure that seniors feel united at graduation; it simply enforces an appearance of solidarity. Ultimately, our accomplishments together should be acknowledged, but individual successes must be celebrated too (no cap).
