High School Graduation Anouncements?

[disykat]

I think it's common knowledge that the actual ceremony are limited in the number of tickets.

I disagree. I volunteer at graduation every year and we ALWAYS have people showing up with their announcements in hand thinking they've been invited. Every year they tell the kids to make sure to clarify this to their friends and relatives, but I know I turn away at least 20 from my door alone. (we have about 6 doors)

 

[tink_n_pooh]

You send out announcements before actually graduating? That seems strange to me, like sending out a wedding announcement before the actual wedding. If they aren't an invitation then shouldn't they be sent out once the person has actually graduated?

Who am I to say though I had never even heard of a graduation announcement before seeing it here

 

[MrsPete]

I disagree. I volunteer at graduation every year and we ALWAYS have people showing up with their announcements in hand thinking they've been invited. Every year they tell the kids to make sure to clarify this to their friends and relatives, but I know I turn away at least 20 from my door alone. (we have about 6 doors)

I remember years ago I was working at graduation. It was at my old school, where we had graduation outside in the gorgeous stadium, and it was always a wonderful event . . . unless it rained, and then it was the most miserable of events, shoved last-minute into the small, stuffy gym. This particular year it had rained, and -- at the last minute -- the graduates had each been given a small number of tickets. A man came to the door without a ticket, and he insisted that parents didn't need tickets. He said that his son had come to his house that afternoon, accepted a graduation gift of money, and TOLD HIS FATHER that he could get into graduation without a ticket just by saying he was a parent. The man looked like he'd been punched in the face when he heard his son had misled him.

You send out announcements before actually graduating? That seems strange to me, like sending out a wedding announcement before the actual wedding. If they aren't an invitation then shouldn't they be sent out once the person has actually graduated?

Who am I to say though I had never even heard of a graduation announcement before seeing it here

Technically, you're right -- just as some people who have a small wedding send out INVITATIONS to the people whom they want to invite, and then send out ANNOUNCEMENTS to the people whom they want to inform.

But in my neck of the woods, the school sells ANNOUNCEMENTS, and families treat them like INVITATIONS, sending them several weeks ahead of time. (And you can walk right into graduation with or without an invitations -- space is not a problem at our venue.)

It's always been common for people to tuck an invitation to a family party, open house, brunch, whatever into the graduation announcement, but lately -- lately as in the last couple years -- I've seen more and more people buying nicer engraved invitations (often with photographs) and combining the graduation /party information. Personally, I think I'll MAKE my daughters' invitations. I should probably start now.

 

[aprilgail2]

It is very common where I live.

Namely because only a few people can actually attend graduation-each kid gets only 4-8 tickets, depending on the venue. Not everybody has a party-its a way to tell people about your kid's acheivement-and send a current picture.

If its sunny out then anyone can come to ours since its outside and the area can hold many many people....if its inside then you get TWO tickets...causes a problem with divorced parents many times though because the mom will take both tickets for her and her new husband and not give one to the childs father- or the other way around...

 

[golfgal]

If its sunny out then anyone can come to ours since its outside and the area can hold many many people....if its inside then you get TWO tickets...causes a problem with divorced parents many times though because the mom will take both tickets for her and her new husband and not give one to the childs father- or the other way around...

Same at our school-except we get 3 tickets per FAMILY. When our twins graduate, we will still get 3 tickets--that isn't even enough for Dh, the twins and I to see DS17's graduation.

 

[Becky2005]

Wow, I didn't know this was even something that was up for debate. I assumed everybody did it. My parents sent them out when I graduated from HS in 1991 and I sent them out when I graduated from college in 2008. Gifts were not requested nor expected; it was just an announcement. Nothing more, nothing less.

The DIS is always interesting to see how things are done differently everywhere.

We had announcements back in 1986 when I graduated and even back in 1980 when my sister graduated. For that matter, I still HAVE the announcement/invitation to the graduation ceremony for mine. I'm thinking my parents probably had them when they graduated too.

The way it worked back in the age of the dinosaurs when I graduated was announcements/ceremony invites were identical. You sent announcements to people who lived far away and you knew couldn't make the ceremony, etc... It had absolutely nothing to do with gifts -- it was basically the equivelant of putting an engagement/wedding announcement in the paper. I don't know anyone who puts their announcement in the paper and expects gifts.

I have a couple more years before my oldest graduates but I know I will be sending announcements out to her great aunts/uncles who live in Michigan. We don't keep in touch much other than Christmas card type thing but I know they like to hear our updates -- or at least that's what they say in their letters back to me with their Christmas cards. I won't send an announcement to the people locally who are going to get an invitation to the graduation party.

 

[5lilfish]

I've never heard of a high school graduation announcement (or any grad announcement). I guess it's just not done around here. My gut reaction, imagining receiving one, is that it is a request for a gift. I'm not saying that is what the OP (and/or others) is motivated by, but it's how I would interpret it if I received one. Again, I'm sure that my perspective is slanted because it's not something that seems to be 'the norm' where we live.

So who do you send them to? I could see if you had a close relative that is out of town (grandparents, aunts/unlces). There are people on my Christmas Card list that I wouldn't even send a wedding announcement to (which I've also never really seen done). It's interesting to see how different customs can be for different people/regions.

Jess

 

[kellyg403]

I am doing them for dd, but mostly for relatives and her dad's family who don't live near by. I will include one of her pictures (not grad ones).

We do it just to share the accomplishment. I have never, and have had three graduate so far, had the kids get extra "gifts" out of the deal. Guess we do things differently in the family!

Kelly

 

[MrsPete]

Same at our school-except we get 3 tickets per FAMILY. When our twins graduate, we will still get 3 tickets--that isn't even enough for Dh, the twins and I to see DS17's graduation.

I can relate -- I was only given two tickets for my graduation. The only thing to do is to have the parents attend graduation, then have a party afterward for everyone else.

The actual ceremony isn't all that exciting.

I've never heard of a high school graduation announcement (or any grad announcement). I guess it's just not done around here.

Are you sure? My students tend to CALL THEIRS invitations, but they don't say, "You're invited" . . . rather, they say, "The class of 2010 announces its graduation ceremonies".

 

[5lilfish]

I can relate -- I was only given two tickets for my graduation. The only thing to do is to have the parents attend graduation, then have a party afterward for everyone else.

The actual ceremony isn't all that exciting. Are you sure? My students tend to CALL THEIRS invitations, but they don't say, "You're invited" . . . rather, they say, "The class of 2010 announces its graduation ceremonies".

I'm sure...never seen one. I've gone to plenty of graduation parties though.

Jess