<p>Sooo I was watching Laguna Beach and I saw that at the end of the graduation ceremony, everyone just took pictures and hugged and I was like WHERE ARE ALL THE LEIS? I posed this question to my mother and she said that it was a special Hawaii tradition to give leis to people after they grad. The graduates usually end up with hundreds of leis cascading over their head and a huge group of family members holding a large sign of their name adn they follow the graduate around as they look for friends to give and receive leis with. </p>
<p>During commencment all the girls and boys walk to separate sides and sit down. The principle speaks, then a guest speaker, and then the senior class president. We all go one row at a time onto a stage a get our diplomas and then sit down again. Then everyone stands and sings a song (last year was Lean on Me) then the class VP goes to the podium and ask everyone to move our tassles...then the lei giving begins. </p>
<p>What is it like where you're from?</p>
<p>PS...I know that there are a ton of threads on this but I'm really interested.</p>
<p>wow, that lei thing sounds so cool...my friend from Hawaii says that the culture is really relaxed and liberal, I'd really like to live there...</p>
<p>anyway, I'll tell you what the standard NY procedure is:</p>
<p>Class sits in alphabetical order on stage, Opening address by principal, valedictorian then each person called up (tells what awards they got), saluturian, end.</p>
<p>the lei thing sounds much better, huh? ha</p>
<p>I went to my school's graduation ceremony last year... it was simple but nice (I live in CA by the way). </p>
<p>First the principal gave sort of the opening address, and then they read the names of all the valedictorians (vals are the top 2% at my school). Then we had three student speeches. At my school it's not the vals who give the speeches, because 1) there's not enough time for 12 speeches and 2) you have to audition, so usually the vals are the only people motivated enough to put forth that amount of effort at the end of the year anyway. Each speaker spoke about a slightly different topic- one was sort of a reminiscing thing about all of our schooling years, one was about senior year, and one was an inspirational speech about the future. </p>
<p>Then the Advanced Choir sang a song (it was "No Day But Today" from Rent, which I had never really thought of as a graduation song but it actually works really well). Finally our school activities director came up and gave sort of the closing speech, and then they started calling out everyone's name. (Usually our graduating class is about 600 people so there isn't time to say what college everyone is going to or what awards they won or anything- that's done on Senior Awards Night for those who choose to go.) And of course once everyone has their diploma they all move their tassels together... and then it's over! (Usually takes about three hours)</p>
<p>^^ creepy, I just saw Rent on stage tonight.</p>
<p>But anyways!</p>
<p>You sit in alphabetical order in the football field, the principal speaks, the two top 'Academic Achievers' speak, I think the class president speaks, they list off the names, you get your diploma...the coolest thing about our graduation is that every year, you vote for your favorite teachers, and the ones most voted for all stand in a line, and you hug or high five the ones that you've had when you walk down.</p>
<p>The band plays, and its over...people taking pictures, hugging, parents crying, so forth.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention a few things...</p>
<p>It takes place in the middle of our football stadium and we build a stage for the speakers/when we walk up to get diplomas. We sit in order by height (shortest to tallest) and as you walk with a boy to your seat and then you two split and go to the separate sections. Familes sit in the bleachers and when it is over they all rush down to the field to do the lei thing...so basically there are hundreds and hundreds of people running around the football field.</p>