STUDENT ENGAGEMENT:

The meaning and importance of high school graduation can be difficult for middle school students to wrap their heads around. It can seem so far off that any discussion of it can seem theoretical and have little connection to their real world right at this moment. While in this lesson students will be looking at high school graduation and specifically, Indiana’s high school diploma options, students will begin by visioning their own high school graduation.

 

A graduation is neither strictly a beginning or an end, but rather a time to celebrate everything that has been accomplished so far as well as where someone is going. We celebrate this in a number of ways when it comes to graduation. One way that this is celebrated is through our dress. Ask students to talk about what graduates wear. Explain that items such as caps, gowns and anything else that a student wears during graduation is also called “regalia.” There is also special regalia that only some people wear for graduation. Ask students if they have ever known of or seen a graduate wearing special regalia during graduation.

 

Cords are a common form of graduate regalia. Long cords with tassels are worn around the neck and the colors represent different accomplishments. Stoles are another common from of graduate regalia. Stoles are long strips of fabric that are worn around the neck similar to a scarf. Stoles can include designs, images and words that indicate a number of things. Stoles can be worn to indicate participation in a specific program, to indicate a special accomplishment, to show a student’s affiliation to a specific club or group at school, and many people wear stoles to show their specific cultural identity.

 

You can use the images located at: intoolkit.com/stoles to illustrate the different types of graduation stoles that high school and college graduates choose to wear.

 

Today, students are going to be designing their own graduation stoles. Their designs should include colors, images, words and symbols that illustrate: 1. what students plan on accomplishing before graduating high school, and 2. what students plan on accomplishing after graduating high school.

 

Encourage students to think about classes, extracurriculars and clubs that they might be interested in being a part of in high school. Ask them to think about what they hope to accomplish in the classroom as well, and how they might be able to indicate these things on their stole.

 

Students should also think about their career choice and post-secondary education plan. Encourage students to think about how these might be incorporated into their stole design.

 

Once students have completed their stole, ask them to make sure that their names are on their paper, and pas out a rubber band, string or ribbon. Ask students to roll their stole designs with their art and name facing outward and then secure it with the band you’ve provided. Collect the students papers and keep these together.
 

DIGGING IN:

Now that students have had a chance to learn a bit about the diploma options and know where to find that information in their ​course guides, ask students if they know what the purpose and centerpiece of a high school graduation might be. Of course, it’s not the regalia, the music or even the speeches.. The whole point of graduation is the presentation of diplomas.

 

Even if it looks like students are all picking up the same thing as they walk across the stage, those diplomas aren’t necessarily identical. The State of Indiana and your high school offer three different diploma seals and additional honors for high school graduates. These are the Enrollment Honors/Honors Plus Seal, the Employment Honors/Honors Plus Seal and the Enlistment Honors/Honors Plus Seal.

 

Ask students to review the diploma requirements in their specific high school’s course guide.
 

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INTO ACTION:

Once the students have had an opportunity to get more acquainted with the curriculum guide, they will probably already be thinking about which option might be the best fit for them. Pass out the Graduation Card sheet to each student. Explain that before graduation, many students are asked to fill out a card that indicates the full name that they would like to be read as they cross the stage. This is so that there are no mix-ups and everyone is able to be honored in the way they wish on graduation day.

 

On this sheet, ask students to include their full name. Students can leave off their middle name if they choose, but most students like to include their full name (first, middle, last and any suffixes that apply). Also, on their cards students are asked to include the diploma type that they will be earning and their plans after graduation. After all students have completed their cards, collect them, and organize them in alphabetical order by last name.

 

Finally, call each student up to the front one at a time. For example:

 

“Asia Lynn Carter. Asia is graduating with an Enrollment Plus diploma and plans to study nursing at Ball State University after graduation.”

 

As the students come to the front, hand them their rolled graduation stole sheet and ask each student to share how their stole design indicates their accomplishments before graduation and their plans after.