At Least One Graduating Senior’s Dad is Suffering From Graduation Fatigue
As Highland Park ISD parents gas up their SUVs for the long drive to tonight’s graduation ceremony in Allen, I heard from one dad who’s fed up with the festivites. He suggested we publish an article with this headline: “Did You Graduate From High School or Did You Find The Cure For Cancer?”
“My daughter is a senior at HPHS, and I’m amazed at the way the red carpet is rolled out for simply graduating in Highland Park!” he wrote. “ENDLESS parties, dances, formals, luncheons, all-night lock-ins at the Dallas Country Club, baccaulaureate at the Meyerson Symphony Center, and awards ceremony after awards ceremony.”
What do you think, parents of soon-to-be graduates or recent alumni? Is this dad on to something or just on something?
Just say no. Pick the events you want your child to attend. Leave the yearlong senior circuit to the kids who would be partying anyway. Certainly seems the PTA doesn’t expect the seniors to have a very academic year.
None of these senior activities are new. I graduated almost 20 years ago and we had baccalaureate at the Meyerson, graduation at SMU, the all-night party @ DCC, Senior Boys, Senior Girls, and probably 75% of my class had either a senior party thrown in their individual honor or in the honor of a small group of friends. Not to mention all the elementary schools do parties for the graduates who started at HPISD in elementary school.
It’s a lot, but it sure was fun! Some of my favorite memories from high school even after all these years. And I still managed to fulfill my AP & honors workload, work part time, and complete the extracurriculars and leadership activities I had committed to- a good lesson in time management which will pay off in college & the real world.
Just wanted to point out most of the events this dad is complaining about are HP tradition (and go back even to my parents’ HP classes in the 1960’s or earlier). It isn’t a recent development attached to the “everyone gets a trophy” generation.
First let’s get rid of these ridiculous graduation ceremonies for preschoolers and for elementary and middle schoolers. Unlike the senior stuff, these are relatively new. Plus they’re just kind of dumb.
I agree with Neal, some of this has gotten out of hand. But, graduating from High School IS a big event, less for the achievement (at least in our area, where it is expected), and more for being a time of huge change in a young persons life. Go ahead and revel in and enjoy the end of your years in school, because life gets harder and more complicated from here on out.
Celebrate an accomplishment–not an expectation like graduating from 4th grade. BTW, all the car graffiti about moving on up to MIS has got to go. SKA 80.