As graduation season approaches for RBHS seniors, graduates seek out the caps, gowns and tassels they will wear at the commencement ceremony. But missing from these outfits are  varieties of academic regalia, such as cords, stoles and other traditional accessories that are known to complete the graduate look. These add-ons often represent the graduating individual’s academic accomplishments and school involvement over the course of their high school career.

This regalia can include honor cords (colorful, braided strings worn around the neck), stoles (also known as sashes, worn over the shoulders) or other accessories such as medals. They serve as widely-known symbols of academic or extracurricular distinction and can denote certain honors, such as being a valedictorian. Another common personalization for high school graduations is decorating caps to reflect the student’s personality or interests and often to display the student’s future plans, such as their college colors.

There is much controversy around these accessories, as although they are only intended to display each student’s unique interests and achievements, some feel that they do not accurately represent the efforts of all or may create division between students.

Columbia Public Schools (CPS) does not participate in distributing these accessories to students, and has not allowed the individualization of any graduation uniform at commencement ceremonies for at least the past 20 years. CPS Chief Communications Officer Michelle Baumstark said the idea behind the district’s choice to abstain from this tradition is to emphasize unity at the graduation ceremony, while individual accomplishments can be celebrated outside of commencement. 

“We recognize individual student achievements in the graduation program and at multiple senior events leading up to commencement,” Baumstark said. “Commencement is the final opportunity for the graduating class to gather together as a unified group.”

RBHS senior advisor Travis Martin confirmed that the purpose of uniform graduation attire is to promote celebrating community at commencement, rather than just the individual. Martin said all students receive a medallion and a diploma as tangible commemorations of their graduation, and the only additional physical honors awarded are crystal trophies for the valedictorians. Students may also choose to purchase their own cords through Jostens— manufacturer company of graduate memorabilia— or other outside sources and wear them to other senior events, such as the senior reception.

RBHS students have voiced their distaste for this policy, feeling they are missing out on a popular tradition practiced by schools across the country. RBHS senior Peyton Gillis said she would wear cords and decorate her graduation cap if it was allowed.

“I think cords are a cool way to show your academic achievement as well as your involvement in other things around the school, [and] I think the option to decorate our cap and gown would be awesome,” Gillis said. “It [would] give everyone a chance to add personality to such a boring dress code and also get students excited for graduation. You only get to graduate high school once so you might as well show off everything you’ve worked for.”

Although these prohibitions have been in place for decades, Martin said students who wish to change this policy should begin that conversation early in the school year and take their concerns to the Board of Education, as it is a district-wide decision.

“If students wanted to change [this] policy, they’d need to start talking about it in the fall, because by May it’s too late to do anything,” Martin said. “If [students at] one school wanted to change that, all the schools in the district would have to as well, and to organize that would take a lot of work and time.”

Do you think academic regalia should be allowed at graduation? Let us know in the comments below.