Did your graduate decorate their cap?

[njmom47]

I was just looking through ds's hs graduation photos on the professional photography website and noticed A LOT of kids had decorated their cap. Some had the college they will be attending; one of the girls had a bow and a rhinestone heart, another had a psychedelic Batman design.
My son did not decorate his cap.

 

[bballmom56]

No, but he did bring the beach balls!

 

[disykat]

That would be an offense that meant community service before receiving their diploma at our school. So would the beach ball.

 

[molliewalks]

my son's class were not allowed to decorate them at all!! they were told they would not be allowed to participate in ceremonies if they were decorated. a few did bring beach balls, but teachers confiscated them when they could (i thought ridiculous, it's HS graduation, not an ivy league, let the kids have fun!!)

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[rapunzelrocks]

Neither of mine decorated the caps at high school or college graduation.

 

[maslex]

I had completely forgotten that some graduates decorate their cap until I got to graduation last week.

Funny that you brought it up though. I remember saying to myself during the graduation that it was a shame that my son didn't do his. But oh well. No big deal. Then at the end of graduation, everyone threw their cap up into the air and they landed all over the place. No way of telling which one was who's. I then saw my son leave down the aisle after graduation with NO cap on. I was sad. I wanted to keep it and put it in his scrapbook. As we were leaving though I saw a few on the chairs around where he was sitting. I saw one with writing on it (with a black sharpie) and thought that it looked like his hand writing. Sure enough, when I went to pick it up it read something like, "if it doesn't have pedals, it won't win any medals--Murica" Then I turned it over to look inside to see if his name was on it and it was. I was so happy to have it back. LOL

So even though it was necessarily "decorated" with stuff, he did write on it. I did see others that were decorated though. Some girls had glued flowers & rhinestones. Some guys put the college they were going to, or Army, Marines (wherever they were going)....

I never understood why the school would confiscate beach balls or not letting them decorate their caps. It's their last hoo-rah, let them be. It's not going to harm anything. I know there was a guy (not graduate, but in the stands) that had an air horn. I don't mind those either but this graduation was inside and boy that thing was loud. Still fun though.

 

[njmom47]

Bballmom56
No, but he did bring the beach balls!

They did the beach balls as well as a tube that looked like a tire. The "important grownups" seemed to take it in stride, and when something serious was going to happen, they said "Hold the balls please" which of course made the kids roar with laughter.
Plenty of airhorns, and people hiding in the woods lighting firecrackers too.

Boy, our town has a bad nickname. Maybe we deserve it.

 

[jerseygal]

Both sons did decorate either high school or college graduation caps...

Noticed mostly that females did! Some were CUTE!

 

[MIGrandma]

Our kids did not decorate their graduation caps, it just wasn't something that was done back then. I'm not sure if kids wanted to and weren't allowed or if they just weren't interested in doing it.

Our grandson's graduation was last month, and many in his class did decorate their caps. He put the Marine insignia on his as he was going to be leaving soon for training.

I don't understand schools that are so strict as to not let them decorate their caps.

I've never been to a graduation ceremony where they toss around beach balls, but I think it would be fun and something the entire audience could get into. Why be so stuffy? Times change. Boys (at least around here) don't wear dress pants and starched shirts and ties, and girls don't wear dresses with heels and white gloves anymore. Let them have fun at their graduation!! The whole ceremony doesn't need to be so solemn.

 

[maslex]

Our kids did not decorate their graduation caps, it just wasn't something that was done back then. I'm not sure if kids wanted to and weren't allowed or if they just weren't interested in doing it.

Our grandson's graduation was last month, and many in his class did decorate their caps. He put the Marine insignia on his as he was going to be leaving soon for training.

I don't understand schools that are so strict as to not let them decorate their caps.

I've never been to a graduation ceremony where they toss around beach balls, but I think it would be fun and something the entire audience could get into. Why be so stuffy? Times change. Boys (at least around here) don't wear dress pants and starched shirts and ties, and girls don't wear dresses with heels and white gloves anymore. Let them have fun at their graduation!! The whole ceremony doesn't need to be so solemn.

Yep, there were quite a few boys who wore either jeans or shorts with sneakers at the ceremony the other night. I saw most girls wear a dress but most of those wore flip flops. I say, hey whatever makes you happy.

 

[bballmom56]

I know there was a guy (not graduate, but in the stands) that had an air horn. I don't mind those either but this graduation was inside and boy that thing was loud. Still fun though.

I had a parent directly behind me in the bleachers who blasted an air horn. Not so fun when it's in your ear.

They did the beach balls as well as a tube that looked like a tire. The "important grownups" seemed to take it in stride, and when something serious was going to happen, they said "Hold the balls please" which of course made the kids roar with laughter.

DS had a vice principal after him, so he raced inside to exchange the empty tube they hand out at the ceremony for the real diploma before the VP could catch up to him!

Boy, our town has a bad nickname. Maybe we deserve it.

Oh, do share......

 

[Art 1]

The HS would not have allowed that. And no for University. They are not the types that need to call attention to themselves.

 

[luvsJack]

Our hs kids don't decorate their caps, I am guessing they are not allowed. Before this year, the grads at our community college were not allowed but we came up with a compromise. They made a template of the top of the cap and decorated a piece of colored or clear contact paper and then stuck it to the top of the cap. After graduation, they just took it off before returning the cap.

 

[Chelley00]

my son's class were not allowed to decorate them at all!! they were told they would not be allowed to participate in ceremonies if they were decorated.

Same here. They sent a letter home with all the instructions on it and it mentioned not decorating caps twice.

 

[maslex]

Our hs kids don't decorate their caps, I am guessing they are not allowed. Before this year, the grads at our community college were not allowed but we came up with a compromise. They made a template of the top of the cap and decorated a piece of colored or clear contact paper and then stuck it to the top of the cap. After graduation, they just took it off before returning the cap.

They had to return the cap? I know I got to keep mine and my son got to keep his. Actually, I've never known anyone who's had to return it. First time for everything.

 

[scrapquitler]

My daughters high school graduation was last night. They were told NOT to decorate their caps. DD told me that one girl did, and they took her cap and gave her a plain one when they were linging up to march onto the field.

They also were banned from wearing flip flops or sneakers, supposedly for 'safety' reasons. But I saw a lot of girls teetering on precariously high heels who looked like they didn't know how to walk in them. That seemed a lot more dangerous to me than flip flops.

Girls were told to wear a light colored dress or skirt (white cap & gown for the girls) and Boys were told to wear dress pants, a long sleeve shirt and a tie. Most did follow the dress code. MY daughter wore white shorts and a white tank top with her silver sandals You couldn't tell that she wasn't wearing a skirt under the gown, so what difference did it make? And it save d me from spending $$ on something she will never wear again.

 

[tinatark]

No.

I've seen photos of graduations with decorated caps.. I think they detract from the ceremony.

 

[luvsJack]

They had to return the cap? I know I got to keep mine and my son got to keep his. Actually, I've never known anyone who's had to return it. First time for everything.

Yep. High school and the community college. We were talking about this year as to WHY they have to return them. After the ceremony all the caps and gowns are just thrown in a huge bin. If a hat (or gown for that matter) is missing, no one would really be the wiser; they aren't counted. And the hats have a tag in them that clearly states "for one use only". Its just something that "its always been that way" and no one has changed it.

 

[DeaverTex]

Tex Jr. graduated from high school some time ago, but there were no decorated caps. It was a small private school, everything was rented and had to go back, and they had it pounded into them for a couple of weeks that nothing like that would be tolerated. Plus they were checked, believe it or not, to make sure that they were dressed according to dress code under their gowns. A couple of kids had to go home and change.

There weren't any decorated caps when I got my MS from Baylor in '84, but when Mrs. Tex got her MSN from University of Texas, some of the undergrads did some decorating.

I honestly think it's pretty silly, but I don't have a problem with it.

 

[Axel]

I decorated mine all three times. Well, I guess my best friend decorated the first one! I don't have a picture of that one (my high school cap), but I have the other two.

This was my undergraduate cap:

I took the line from a Hawkeye comic (though I'm sure it was borrowed in part from other sources) and shortened it to fit. Hawkeye is my favorite superhero because he proves that an average, ordinary person from Nowhere, USA can do extraordinary things with determination and commitment.

And this was my graduate (Master's Degree) cap:

I chose the design for a couple of reasons. The first being that my mother passed away at the beginning of the school year and her favorite character was Dory--and I know she would have wanted me to keep going with school. The other being that I really did "just keep swimming" because I didn't take a break between my undergraduate and my graduate coursework. Apparently the design was popular enough to catch the eye of the official ceremony photographer, because that's where I got this shot from!