<p>Yes, even the beach balls are a major distraction. Why? Because all the kids (and parents) know that they’re forbidden during the ceremony. So as soon as one goes up in the air, it becomes a chase game between the students hitting the ball and the ‘chaperoning’ faculty/staff trying to chase it down among the 600 students. When you’re sitting behind all the students (which is where the guests sit), it’s a major visual distraction. Then add in all the laughing at this comic scene from the students and guests, and if it’s your student coming up next to receive their diploma, boom… you’ve missed their name being called. If there’s a beach ball in the air, you’re not going to hear the name being called. Then add any yelling still going on for the student who came before yours and you wonder why you came. There’s no such thing as a quiet ceremony as beach balls are floating through the air.</p>
<p>“So as soon as one goes up in the air, it becomes a chase game between the students hitting the ball and the ‘chaperoning’ faculty/staff trying to chase it down among the 600 students”</p>
<p>No faculty, etc. bothered to try to get the balls during the grad ceremonies I’ve seen.</p>
<p>Wow… as the formal presentation of the diplomas begins, our school usually positions at least six staff members (who are in their gowns and have processed in with the students) among the students. Of course, some of them are there as ushers, instructing the rows when to stand, head up to the stage, etc.</p>
<p>As soon as the beach balls start coming out, at least two or three of them head over to the section where the ball is being hit, trying to intercept it (it becomes a game of keep away). Once it’s finally intercepted, a huge awwwwww is let out from the students as their toy is taken away… until the next one is blown up and it put into play. </p>
<p>Hard to watch this and not snicker, laugh, chuckle, etc. All the while, students are trying to cross the stage and their families are trying to hear their names.</p>
<p>pro.
I find it ridiculous that some of you are complaining about how cheers for individual students would add extra time to the graduation and that everyone should just sit quietly and politely. I don’t understand what is the rush. It took the graduates four or more years of hard work to get to graduation. Is it so wrong for families to give their grads just a few seconds of cheers and applause? Graduations are a joyous occasion where chereing and applause should be acceptable. For those who oppose noise at graduations, you should just stay home. At the graduation I went to this past weekend, plenty of people brought air horns, drums and other noise makers. It made the graduation ceremony more fun for grads and their families. Everyone enjoyed it and the professors calling out the names of the graduates waited a few seconds between names to allow time for cheers.</p>
<p>I always feel self conscious shouting out at sporting events, so I doubt I’ll be losing it at graduation! We bid on and won front row seats at S’s graduation so I definitely won’t want to make a spectacle of myself! I am sure I will applaud quietly when his name is called. Starts with a W so he is about number 124 out of a class of about 130. I would hate, hate, hate air horns.</p>
<p>“I find it ridiculous that some of you are complaining about how cheers for individual students would add extra time to the graduation and that everyone should just sit quietly and politely. I don’t understand what is the rush.”</p>
<p>Do you realize that at some graduations a thousand or more students graduate?</p>
<p>I know very few people who enjoy the clamor that air horns make.</p>
<p>Also, if the people running the ceremony ask that there be no applause, etc., it seems that it would be courteous to abide by that request.</p>
<p>People also may have planes to catch and other things to do beside spend an extra several hours at a ceremony.</p>
<p>"Hard to watch this and not snicker, laugh, chuckle, etc. All the while, students are trying to cross the stage and their families are trying to hear their names. "</p>
<p>Snickers, chuckles don’t carry far in the large spaces that many graduations are held in.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, that’s not true for air horns and cheers…</p>
<p>Here’s my question: if you decide to compromise, and allow cheering, but no air horns or noisemakers, will that stop the yahoos from bringing air horns?</p>
<p>Lots of folks think they can do whatever they want. It’s clear from the response on this board. Hmmm…what makes the difference? Host politely asks you to refrain from making noise and to save your clapping and cheers to the end. What makes some folks say - “Stupid rules, I’ll just do what I want.” Personality? Upbringing? Too much alcohol? All of the above? Maybe it’s just that you can’t really be caught or suffer any consequences so who cares? Just wondering…</p>
<p>Jym626: icygirl- why feel the need to post under a new screenname? Its ok to have a divergent view. </p>
<p>I know its okay to have my own view. I did not make a new screenname smart one. I came across this forum yesterday when I was searching for air horns and graduation on google and couldn’t help but add my two cents. </p>
<p>Consolation: icygirl, I strongly doubt that “everyone” enjoyed being blasted with air horns and noisemakers.
But then, those making the noise really didn’t give two hoots about anyone else, did they? It’s all about them. </p>
<p>Fair enough, not everyone but definitely a great majority at the graduation that I attended. Families brought all sorts of noisemakers, drums, air horns, tambourines, confetti and etc because obviously, I and the others who attended the graduation believe that it was an exciting occasion worth celebrating and appropriate to make noise. After all, it took the grads a number of years to make it to graduation. A couple seconds of cheers is not that big of a deal in my opinion. </p>
<p>Northstarmom: Do you realize that at some graduations a thousand or more students graduate? </p>
<p>Yes, I do realize that. There were a thousand students at the graduation that I went to, that is why some PhD students who were sitting on stage left during the middle of the ceremony (because PhD students were allowed to walk the stage first) since they already took their turn to walk the stage. Their families also then proceeded to leave from the stands and walked through the rows, which was even more distracting than an air horn because they blocked people’s view. Besides, how many graduations can a student walk in their life time? Cheers and applause last a couple of seconds so each student can have their time to shine. It’s not that big of a deal to fight over. </p>
<p>“Also, if the people running the ceremony ask that there be no applause, etc., it seems that it would be courteous to abide by that request.”</p>
<p>Not every graduation ceremony is asked to be quiet and solemn like a funeral, certainly not the ones I’ve been to.</p>
<p>I guess you’ll be allowing them at your wedding someday then, right?</p>
<p>Actually, I have the perfect solution… have two different ceremonies; one for the families who wish to hear their child’s name (and their friends) called and one for those who don’t care about anyone else except for their own kid.</p>
<p>“I guess you’ll be allowing them at your wedding someday then, right?”</p>
<p>teriwtt----I kid you not…I am so fascinated by the “air horn graduation” search on google, that I did the same. One supplier advertises air horns as being “great at weddings and football games”.<br>
I will not provide the link as I do not want to encourage what may very well be a sign of the “end times”. :)</p>