Hmm, here's what details I can remember. Not sure if it's traditional or not:

- There's a stage, and then there's chairs (lots of them) where all the students are forced to sit while they hear various people talk about their glorious future (principal, teachers, superintendants, board directors, etc.) It can generally be indoors or outdoors.

- Then the students start coming in within lines, slowly filling up the chairs while the band plays Pomp & Circumstance.

- As mentioned before, students sit there and listen to graduation speeches. It's customary for some students themselves to prepare speeches.

- Then, students march up there one by one, onto the stage, where the principal (or whoever) hands them their diploma and their name is announced over a loudspeaker. Student recieving diploma shakes hands of various important people. The crowd cheers! Student marches back to their seat.

- Principal makes some witty closing remarks. Then the end comes. Sometimes the students march back within lines (as with the beginning), other times the ceremony just ends right there.

Funny, I never really saw it as something exclusive to the United States or anything. Probably varies a bit from school to school as well. *shrug*

? posted by Campaignjunkie

High school prepares you to "shut up and listen" for college/university.

really, i have noted no distinctions between the groups, or ages.. both know everything about nothing at all.

still, in theory, you are correct, but i feel the military comes much closer to teaching you "shut up and listen"

in all seriousness, of the graduates i have met, both in high-school and college, all i have ever seen is book smarts, reality smarts must not be taught in school any-longer cause in each instance, the poor kid crumbles when real life hit them :/

WOA CJ, thats a lotta chairs and peeps, more than when all of my school were on the feild, and there was 2000 of us.

i know you are right, but i do recall my teachers mentioning reality issues in school, but the kids i meet now days, seem to live in this fantasy realm somehow.. i am beginning to believe its the parents fault, by creating this image of "you're special" or "you're beautiful" and so many other image boosting hog s**t.

anywhos, at least in my case, i understand and/or know more now than i did in school, not reality stuff, but book smart stuff, i failed history in school miserably, but love it now.. same with a few other subjects.

my reality check, began when i was 16 and my parents separated.. but thats not a lesson i would wish on anyone... my nature is to be sympathetic to people, but my life's experiences made me callous to others.. i am in constant state of mixed feelings... my heart tells me "oh the poor bastard" but my brain says "f**k'em"

anywho's life is not a storybook most times.

I'm glad to see that this thread actually managed to go somewhere, maybe a little bit off road but that could have been expected.

On the ceremony, I'd like to thank you guys and especially CJ on describing the basic guidelines a little bit more. However if you could perhaps explain why at some ceremony's I've seen people turning their hat around after they had received their degree I would be even more thankful.

On the new topic that has sprung up here. I believe that school does indeed prepare you "real-life/work", after you leave school there might still be a lot you need to learn on your worksite, but thanks to school most of the basics have already been covered.That's exactly what school provides you with, basic knowledge, and the rest you can learn over the years.

Education is a very important factor in every society, there is a reason for this. Education does help, it does prepare you. People without education, or a very basic one, seem in general to have a very hard time suceeding in 'real-life'.