This document has been formatted for printing from your browser from the Web site of the Illinois Association of School Boards.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE -- This document is © copyrighted by the Illinois Association of School Boards. IASB hereby grants to school districts and other Internet users the right to download, print and reproduce this document provided that (a) the Illinois Association of School Boards is noted as publisher and copyright holder of the document and (b) any reproductions of this document are disseminated without charge and not used for any commercial purpose.

Illinois School Board Journal
May/June 2003

Graduation will leave a lasting impression

by Diane Freeman

Diane Freeman is director of community information for Northfield Township High School District 225 in Northbrook/Glenview.

Graduation is a defining moment for a high school: the final memory that families share of their child's four years of high school. For grandparents or other family members, it may be their only direct impression of the high school. Graduations send a formidable public relations message because the impressions they leave are strong enough to impact how parents and guests will think about the school in the future.

Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South high schools in Northfield Township High School District 225 have established a long tradition of dignified, solemn graduation ceremonies. It hasn't happened by accident. It takes collaboration among staff, administration, parents and students to execute a shared vision of what graduation should be. It takes good planning, hard work and a clear understanding by all students of what is expected and what will not be tolerated.

"Countless hours go into the planning of the ceremony. We don't want a few kids to ruin it," says Glenbrook North senior class advisor Pat Compobasso.

Planning starts early. In February an assembly for all seniors is held. After the senior class advisor sets out the rules and expectations, the college coordinator and dean reinforce the message. Students are made aware that both the school and their parents want a dignified, solemn ceremony. Students are appealed to from every angle: school pride; respect for parents; respect for teachers and administrators; do the right thing; and you're on the brink of adulthood, act like it.

One carrot is held out to the students: although they receive a diploma cover at graduation, they do not receive the actual diploma until after the ceremony. Students also have the option to not participate, but still receive their diploma.

Graduation rehearsal is serious business with all points reiterated. If rehearsal is not going well, if behavior is not appropriate, they start again - and again - until everyone gets it right.

Cooperation and support from parents is key. Letters are sent home to parents asking for their cooperation to help make the ceremony a dignified event. At the ceremony, a letter to guests is included in the program, asking them to hold all applause until everyone has received a diploma.

Staff and administration play a crucial role before and during the ceremony. While students are lining up and getting ready to process, teachers, counselors and administrators help students with last-minute bobby pins and secure ill-fitting mortarboards. At the same time, they look for any items that may not belong at graduation and will remove them if found. All administrators and instructional supervisors march in with the students. They wear the robes and colors that signify their degrees and schools. In addition to lending dignity to the ceremony, they sit watchfully at the end of each row.

The ceremony itself is brief. There are no long speeches. A Glenbrook graduation is considered "long" if it lasts too much over an hour. The speakers are limited to the principal, the superintendent, a student leader and the Distinguished Alum. Four students, two girls and two boys, read the names of the graduates as they walk across the stage to collect their diplomas. Everything moves smoothly and quickly.

The most important aspect of graduation for the Glenbrook high schools is where it's held. Location, it turns out, is as crucial to a successful graduation as it is to the selling price of a house. Glenbrook graduations are held at the home school auditorium: a closed, intimate setting conducive to a dignified event.

Seating capacity in each of the auditoriums is just under 1,500. With classes that currently range between 500 and 580 students, tickets are limited. Each graduate receives two tickets and may participate in a lottery to receive a third ticket. Guests who do not have a ticket are invited to sit comfortably in a nearby cafeteria and watch the graduation ceremony live on closed circuit TV. In spite of limited tickets, year after year parents still prefer the auditorium location. Following graduation all guests are invited into the courtyard for picture taking and leave taking.

Despite these efforts, nothing guarantees that something won't go wrong. But so much about a school is reflected at graduation that it is worth every effort to achieve the desired ceremony. Eliciting the cooperation of the students and working collaboratively to achieve a shared vision is as much about how well a school functions as it is about a graduation ceremony.

Strive to make your graduation a true reflection of your school - the impressions are lasting.