Has anyone witnessed a lavish 8th grade graduation?

[SAHMIL]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/fashion/22grad.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5124&en=de295c622e985460&ex=1371787200&partner=facebook&exprod=facebook

[randomkid]

I haven't, but this seems to be happening more and more with everyday events that should be simple - birthday parties, etc. My stepdaughter was a junior in high school this year and on the tennis team. They had an end of the season party and she said some of the girls came dressed like it was prom. She said to me "C'mon people - it's Olive Garden!" - lol!

So, no, I wasn't aware of this, but I'm not surprised.

[kijip]

Barack Obama's remarks in the article are nearly identical to those in his book, The Audacity of Hope.

[MontrealMum]

Wow. I never had a graduation ceremony until I graduated from highschool. I attended the same school from grades 7-12. Each grade had a class trip (our class usually went camping, we were saving for senior year!). We also had a yearly school-wide awards ceremony and volunteer hours ceremony. I don't see why that's not enough anymore.

A good friend's daughter just "graduated" from 6th grade. Hair, makeup, fancy dress, and formal dance - and her parents are actually very down-to-earth, so I shudder to think what a to-do some of her classmates' parents might have gone to. And she'll be at the same school until she really graduates from highschool (it's a K-11 school). So, what is this marking? I can see the inner-city encouragement side of things that the article referred to, but not the lavish party aspect. But with my friend, her child goes to one of the most exclusive private schools in the country. All those kids are going on to college, no question about it, and they all come from privilege.

[s7714]

Wow, so it's not the norm to have a dance/graduation type thing when leaving 8th grade? Didn't know that! (Granted, I do realize all school systems are set up differently and kids can technically enter "high school" in a variety of grades.)

My school had a formal 8th grade graduation dance. Full on prom regalia and all, and yes a few groups rented limos. Most of the girls shopped for dresses just like you'd shop for a prom dress--searching for months and spending more than we probably should have. ;) (Not too many "dates" were involved, mostly just groups of friends, but I realize the sexual demeanor of kids when I went to 8th grade is a far cry from how 8th graders act these days.) We didn't have any separate cap & gown graduation ceremonies or anything, but there were speakers and awards given out prior to the dance beginning. It had been tradition for the longest time at my school, and the school considered it to be a milestone celebration for the students before they went off to high school.

I can see how such an event could easily go too far over the top and think there should be limits, but I'm all for the idea of celebrating the milestone of graduating from 8th grade and preparing to move on to the final years of your [non-college] education.

[MelissaTC]

I went to a Catholic K-8 school so we had a graduation ceremony and big dinner dance after graduation. It was a small school and all the families attended- it wasn't just for the kids. We had an overnight class trip to Washington DC (I grew up in the burbs of NYC so it wasn't too far) that we raised money to help pay for.

[Melanie]

Well, back in the olden days when I was in school, it was Junior High so it was 9th grade but we did have a formal, a beach trip and a graduation where we wore "fancy" dresses. Even 6th grade had a "graduation." I think there might have been a pool trip, too.

In 6th grade we had a pool trip and a graduation ceremony.

I do, however, take exception to the "Kindergarten Graduations" of late. I think that's just ridiculous.

ETA: I wouldn't refer to any of them as 'lavish,' though I also would not refer to my 12th grade graduation on the football field as lavish either. LOL.

[maestramommy]

When I graduated from 8th grade we had the full cap and gown ceremony. We also had a formal lunch the day before after the dress rehearsal (we spent days rehearsing the march and the songs we were going to sing), and we also had an end of the year trip to Six Flags. Course, our school was big so each graduating class was over a 100 kids. And this was in the early 80s.

[Fairy]

My 8th grade graduation was quite a big to-do. We graduated at Ravinia, which is a big, outdoor concert venue on the North Shore of Chicago's northern suburbs. We all wore white dresses and black suits. I didn't know anyone did it any differently until well into college. I just didn't know. I think 8th Grade Graduations should be a bigger deal than they've been made in the past, but the extent of mine was probably unnecessary (my HS graduation was there, too).