Graduation and Grad Night Gratuity

Hey everyone! This week served as a great culmination of my high school years through many fun end-of-year events. The main event was senior graduation! However, leading up to graduation day we had a whole week of fun senior activities. We had a senior breakfast, picnic, and lots of pictures of the senior class together. Our graduation ceremony was held in our football stadium so all the family and friends of the 430 graduating seniors at Laguna Hills High School could come watch the graduation ceremony. This graduation ceremony included speeches from several students, teachers, and school board members. I wore a gold robe because I received an International Baccalaureate degree. I also had many chords to decorate my robe to show I had received many honors. The gold chord represented California Scholastic Federation, the blue represents National Honors Society, and the green represents Spanish Honors Society.

My graduation robe and chords

My friend and I graduating

The graduation ceremony with IB students (in gold) in front

Right after the ceremony we went straight into Grad Night which was an all night party held at the school. Grad night is put together so all students can spend one fun, safe, last night together before parting separate ways. The entire night is filled with great food, games, and prizes. Its like an amusement park at your own school! There was a photo booth to take fun pictures, a casino, and even a hypnotist to hypnotized our friends! The theme was Hollywood and Movies, so the entire school was decorated in this theme. It was great seeing blown up pictures of hunky Hollywood actors! It was such a fun night and a great way to wrap up my last year of high school.

Smile for the photo booth!

In front of the Hollywood sign at Grad Night

How did your school/work year end? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Glad Grads

Hey everyone! As schools across the country end and summer break begins, seniors (12th grade) graduate high school through a special ceremony called graduation. On this day, students receive their academic degree and become graduates. There is a procession of students in their academic dress (long robes and caps) and speeches by students and advisors. Then each student is called up one by one to receive their diploma.

One of the most important part of graduation is the cap and gowns. This is the attire each student wears. The more clubs and activities the student is involved in, the more tassels they can get to wear with their robe on graduation day. The top five percent of the class gets a big medal to wear as well. At my school, since the school colors are brown and gold, everyone wears brown robes except for the International Baccalaureate students who, due to their heavy work load, get rewarded with wearing a gold robe.
At the end of graduation, everyone takes pictures with their friends and family. Families normally reward their grads with flowers, balloons, and gifts! Then straight after, everyone goes to Grad Night! This is a celebration the school and PTA (Parent Teacher Association) puts on for the students. Its a huge party and celebration at the school that lasts all night until 5AM. The main reason for this is to ensure that all the students will have a safe graduation, before and after. It has evolved into one of the most anticipated events all year! The theme this year was: Life's a Game, Play It! There are rides, raffles with huge prizes, hypnotists, a photo booth, and more! But only seniors can see it, making the graduation process truly special.

Do you wear caps and gowns at your graduation? Do you have a Grad Night? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo