The Importance of Graduation

To many, the high school graduation ceremony appears to be a trivial event. An hour of standing, sitting, and waiting for a handshake and a piece of paper. Time wasted in uncomfortable gowns in a crowded, overheated room.

Ari: “Symbolizes hard work and all of your efforts paying off. Its also important for your family to see you.”

The faculty is just as excited as the students to see the seniors move on to the next chapter of their lives.

In many respects, a graduation ceremony is our society’s coming-of-age ritual. It celebrates the transition to adulthood and the end of their time in high school. While the event may seem trivial and unnecessary to attend now, many end up regretting not going later in life. An anonymous faculty member expressed remorse for skipping out on his/her graduation day, saying:

“At the time, I didn’t really care about publicly getting my diploma so I just picked it up on a separate day. Thinking back on it, however, I wish I went if just to experience that day.”

A former student from Leonia High School gave a similar reply, stating that “I was not allowed to walk at my graduation ceremony, so I sat in the back and watched as all my friends and classmates did. At first I did not care since I got to miss out on the tedious process, but on the day of I felt really left out and wanted to walk.”

When asked what he or she would do differently, the student stressed that “even the smallest memories count. Don’t miss out on important milestones just because they seem lame or meaningless.”