Did you have grade school and/or middle school graduations?

I find it weird that they schools today have graduations for kindergarten, grade school, and middle school. Graduation events used to be only for high school.

No, and I find them bizarre.

High school graduation was pretty meaningless for me, given I was going to college.

At least high school is an end point for many.

I graduated from preschool in the 90s. Not new.

I graduated from grammar school (eighth grade) many decades ago. The real question is "Rental house? Why is he celebrating there instead of at home?"

I did. Everyone I know here in CA has them for grade school and middle school. I'm a solid Xer in my lesser 50s.

We had an intermediate school (grades 7 and 8) graduation in 1966. So it's not exactly a new concept.

When I was a kid we had a promotion ceremony for 8th grade, and then high school graduation. Today, in the same school district, they have a kindergarten promotion, 5th grade promotion (to middle school), 8th grade promotion, and high school graduation. The district tries to emphasize that prior to high school it's just promotion to the next level, but parents still use the term graduation. When I started teaching 40 years ago we had a very large percentage of new immigrants from Mexico, and in those days mandatory schooling ended at fourth grade, so a lot of parents made a huge deal out of the year-end activities. That died out, fortunately.

We had an 8th grade graduation and high school. Kindergarten graduation is ridiculous. Having a Catholic upbringing confirmation was a bigger deal than any of these until college. When my dad actually teared up. IDK why it wasn’t like a struggle for me or anything. Maybe bc firstborn?

I attended Catholic grade school, K-8.

Right next door to our school were the athletic fields of the local public junior high school. In June, we saw the junior high grads practicing for their graduation ceremony.

Someone asked the nun why we weren't having a graduation ceremony. The nun replied: "Because unlike most of them, you are all continuing your education by attending high school."

I agree with r8 that kindergarten graduation is ridiculous. Same with middle school, what's the point? I went along with kindergarten grad, thought graduating from grade 7 was stupid, and was severely depressed because I was grieving a major loss when I graduated high school.

I somewhat understand US 8th grade graduations. Going to HS is a milestone for a lot of people. My Hs had a 92% college matriculation rate and it was highly competitive for a public school. So graduation was a big deal. I just wish they’d put air conditioning in the fucking gym.

R5 R6 concur. In LA city schools we had a 6th grade assembly (more casual than a graduation). Then, in our suburban district we had a middle school ceremony (no cap & gown) and the the standard h.s. show with cap & gown on the football field.

We had a head start graduation and got to wear little caps and gowns. We had a sixth grade promotion. It was a potluck/award ceremony. We had ninth grade promotion in the auditorium during school hours. Our English teacher told us a story about a kid whose parents went all out for his 9th grade promotion only for him to not finish high school. My school district was weird and did k-6 elementary school, 7-9 jr high, and 10-12 high school until a year or two after I graduated from high school.

No.

High school and college only.

The rest is done for benefit of needy parents.

No, I'm a boomer and we didn't need that shit.

I’m a boomer

Me too.

No, but my schooling was in the 1960s- Back when the district furnished a Christmas tree for each classroom during December and allowed us to wear Halloween costumes to school on Halloween. A different time.

Entering HS is not an accomplishment. It’s a transition.

Completing 8th grade is no sort of accomplishment. My big toe would be socially promoted to 9th.

R18 my school did both in 1970. In chorus we also had to learn a song in Hebrew and O Hanukkah for the winter concert. I was also taught origami and Nisei and Sansei culture, and I was once asked to give a speech for World history —wearing a dashiki…

It was Gardena CA, which at that time was about 1/3 Japanese-American, and 2/3 Black, White and other Asian.

No, you cannot opt out of further education, unless you are of legal age to do so. These are culminations that celebrate moving up, not graduations that offer a certificate or diploma.

No but I graduated from high school during the first Nixon Administration.

[quote]No, but my schooling was in the 1960s- Back when the district furnished a Christmas tree for each classroom during December and allowed us to wear Halloween costumes to school on Halloween. A different time.

I'll bet you could even eat peanuts with abandon!

[quote]was severely depressed because I was grieving a major loss when I graduated high school.

Seriously? Why, darling r10?

They served peanut butter in the cafeteria!

I recall my niece had a graduation event for her pre-school. Imagine graduating at age 4.

"Entering HS is not an accomplishment. It’s a transition."

Not always! For years in my district students were not allowed to move on to a comprehensive high school unless they were reading, writing, and doing math fully at grade level. If you were low in any area you were required to attend a special school until you met the requirements. The school had no sports, clubs, dances, or social activities. Just reading/writing, math, history, and science. Some eventually moved on, but most were stuck there until they were able to drop out of school. The high school teachers loved it -everyone could do, and did, the work. No more English learners or remedial classes. Their graduation rates looked phenomenal. Of course, the dropout rate over all skyrocketed, and hundreds of lives were ruined -but hey -you can't have everything...

My daughter had her fourth “graduation” today. First was preschool with caps and gowns. A year later, kindergarten with caps and gowns. Then fifth grade (elementary), and today eighth (middle school) with no caps and gowns. Jesus Fucking Christ. I’m labeled the curmudgeon for rolling my eyes and these gatherings. Then again, I had one graduation for high school and another for college. I did not attend my MA or PhD ceremonies.

I swear that today’s address by the principal was composed by ChatGPT. There was nothing remotely specific to the school, which is fairly unique in that it’s a K-8 school.

Went to Catholic school K-8 (school only had K-8). We did have a graduation. I usually don't like graduations. I have a graduate degree and didn't take part in that ceremony. But the 8th grade one was nice. No cap and gown, but we did dress up.

8th grade graduation: What I do remember is that one of the girls (not popular) gave a party and only invited the popular kids (not including me). I ran into her when we were young adults and, for some reason, the topic of her party came up. She said: "You should have come." I said, "I wasn't invited." (I wasn't trying to be a wise ass, I was just baffled that she said that.)

No. I finished elementary school in the early 70s. The school had an assembly to acknowledge us. My mother attended, and that was that.

In the 80s, I attended a middle-school graduation for a family member. Not a huge deal. I think we went out to dinner after.

We had graduation ceremonies in high school and middle school (called "junior high school" back then). We had a "commencement ceremony" in grade school.

I had graduation ceremonies for kindergarten, eighth grade and high school.

My cousin's son, who is 4, had a preschool graduation ceremony a few weeks ago.

Ben looks like he awoke from a vat of vodka in OP’s photo.

Grade School graduation in 1971. Middle School graduation in 1974. High School graduation in 1978. Only 15% of us went on to college, so the high school graduation was a milestone for many.

Do you think celebrities would send their offspring to just any school with the rest of the unwashed?

What if you live in Santa Barbara?