On Friday, June 3, around 500 LHS students will be seated at the Sears Centre Arena in identical caps and gowns waiting patiently to receive the same diploma as everyone in the room, personalized only by the name stated on the piece of paper. Parents, relatives, and teachers will be seated in the arena with the view of a sea of uniform mortarboards attempting, without success, to point out individual students from rows and rows of blank, black squares decorated only with a single tassel.
Although it may seem trivial in the grand scheme of the ceremony, it only seems fitting that seniors should be allowed to decorate their caps as they listen intently to speeches promoting individuality. There are countless designs and quotes seniors could express on this special night, but their creativity and voices are diminished with the onset of the seemingly harmless but unnecessary rule forbidding them from decorating their caps.
Each student sitting in the arena may be recognized for accomplishing the same feat; however, there are countless milestones in their four years at LHS that make each one unique. Whether it’s discovering a new passion, making lifelong friendships, or getting into a dream college, all of the seniors have a different takeaway from Libertyville High School.
The intent behind the rule may be reasonable, as if students have the freedom to have whatever message they want on their caps, some students will really write whatever they want. Understandably, the staff overlooking graduation simply does not have the time to approve each and every cap before graduation; however don’t students already have the freedom to wear what they want? LHS students choose to wear messages on their clothing that were not pre-approved by staff, but instead use their own judgement based on what is appropriate in a high school setting.
A unique design or clever quote could allow everyone watching the ceremony to really see the individuals Libertyville High School is sending out into the real world. Even a simple “Class of 2016” on a cap could show those people in the crowd that the student is proud to graduate from LHS and is grateful for all the relationships made with the person’s fellow classmates. It is a significant honor and accomplishment to graduate from high school, as 20 percent of teens in the U.S. do not, according to Huffington Post.
One way to celebrate and recognize this milestone is if students were able to decorate their graduation caps for a souvenir of sorts to remember the experiences they had at LHS. Everyone in that room will receive a diploma, but not everyone would have the same graduation cap. Looking back on that souvenir, students will remember what they were thinking as seniors in high school about to embark on their journey to adulthood. Whether it’s college, the military, or a gap year, seniors reserve the right to celebrate their futures and acknowledge their accomplishments in high school.
All in all, graduating from LHS is a triumph that should not go uncelebrated. It is one of the best high schools in the state, making its rigorous courseload difficult no matter what classes you take. In order to recognize this, seniors should be able to express their thoughts on their graduation caps.
