Graduation is a bittersweet moment for a lot of people. Whether it be high school or college, it is a fantastic achievement. Decorating caps has been the path of choice for some to honor these incredible accomplishments and how far they’ve come, but what would the outcome be if one couldn’t express their creativity in such a way? For the high school, this is reality.
Though accessorizing caps was assumed to have started in the early 2000s, they actually started picking up momentum in the 1960s after the Vietnam War, and people began expressing their political views more.
However, now, with the difficulty of trying to keep hats appropriate, a majority of high schools have not permitted them. Greg Semler, principal, said, “We really don’t want to put ourselves in a position where someone is putting or sharing an inappropriate message that could be insulting, intimidating, undermining, or in any way devaluing any other person.” He also explained that he sees graduation as a uniform and group celebration, where most of the students come in and start school together, and they end it together as one. Tiffany McCarty, senior, agreed but said, “If I were to decorate my cap, it would probably have something to do with things I did while I was in high school.”
Even if one’s high school doesn’t permit decorating caps, it’s still awesome to see videos of others’ hats, as it leads to inspiration for college graduation. One could embellish a hat and set it as a memorable piece for their graduation party.
Another activity that is popular amongst high schoolers is senior pranks. Whether it be streamers, balloons, or any other idea, you can bet you’ll see it in a high school prank video. Though Marion isn’t technically allowed to do this activity, one can always bring ideas by Semler. He said, “Anything that the kids have come to me with, for the most part, is kind and fun stuff… So I’ve never had in my own mind any rule against anything.” As long as it’s not disrupting learning, causing harm to anyone or the building, and approved by Semler, it might be something that could work.
Even though graduation caps and senior pranks aren’t allowed, there are still an exceptional number of activities for seniors, such as senior sunrise/sunset, senior skip day, dress-up days towards the end, and a student-led senior assassin. McCarty said, “I think we have lots of fun things for seniors that should stay in place. As for the coming years, things to think about are senior trips, where the whole grade is invited, seniors day out, a prank, a pool party, and senior walk, where seniors walk through all the schools and wave to kids and past teachers in their cap and gown.”
Whether it be sunrise, sunset, walk-throughs, pool parties, or more, these ideas would let students enjoy their last year in high school more and prepare for a perfect ending celebration. This would also give memories to last a lifetime. Seniors should get to live their last year in high school to the fullest.
