Graduation the last few steps before the senior class walks into freedom… Well more like the last few steps into the conclusion of what our high school life was. The whole class about to walk in our coordinated gowns and caps, all similarity nothing out of the ordinary. But is coordination always what we want to see as we acknowledge how much hard work we put into without showing our culture proudly without repercussions?
Most students are first generation graduates for the sole purpose of making their parents proud as they show their accomplishments in an American high school. As a first generation student, I can see how wanting to wear a stole with my Mexican roots.
Showing pride shouldn’t be seen as something that will get us in trouble. As a class, we are already able to work toward walking with honor roll cords or club cords. Now what difference will it make if we are allowed to add a stole with the classes’ individual cultures. Wouldn’t that show how inclusive the school is as they portray it to be? If we want to think about how it would affect the ones around us. Why aren’t we also taking into consideration the students that didn’t make the honor roll or are simply just getting by in high school without deciding to be involved?
Is being separated by our grades and involvement in school how we want to show how proud we are of graduating? Yes, possibly a flag on a stole may be distracting but everything in a big event can be distracting. For example, take a crying baby, or a mic malfunction. But a stole on every student that wants one, wouldn’t make much of a difference. Just recently a high school graduate from Aspen was told she “can’t wear a sash” to her graduation because the superintendent of the district decided it was unification of graduation regalia.
What is common graduation regalia? It includes the cap, the gown, cords, if you are a university graduate then some sort of distinguishing hood and a sash. Well it could have your class year and most are even allowed to be “personalized.” Students aren’t going to be displaying the stole in everyone’s faces all the time if walking across the stage won’t take more than 2 minutes, so what harm will it cause for a student to add that into their personalization?
Yes, of course this leaves the question on what if someone decides to bring a confederate flag onto their stole because to them it doesn’t have an offensive meaning it’s just showing them southern pride? But where do we draw the line at something offensive to something that is just pride?
We live in a country where freedom of speech is valued, so wouldn’t a personalized flag fall under that amendment or does it only count if it is spoken? I’m not saying that we must rise at dawn and create a revolution in the school for not allowing students to wear said flags, but even allowing students the option to express themselves on their last special day of high school shouldn’t be the lead to not allow students to walk across the stage.
