graduation presentation

rjcuga

10-Year Member
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Sep 21, 2007
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I have a friend who just received appointment, and is now committed, to West Point. He was wondering, after I mentioned the Coast Guards does it, if he can have his appointment presented during his high school graduation.... Anyone else have any info on this? I think he would really like to have it during graduation.
 
Your high school guidance office probably handles the planning for senior recognition of scholarships and awards. Some have an honors night, others recognize these at graduation, some are too big to do either. Have your friend ask the guidance office how his appointment presentation will be handled.
 
still mad

I have gone round and round w/ the counseling and administrative and my son's large HS (4000+)...we will end up having a "signing" out in the hall after school one day....big whoop...I cannot believe we do not recognize accomplishments of this magnitude at honors or grad night..."no one wants to sit there that long" is what I'm told! ARGGHHH!!!
 
no honors night?

mom3boys, just a suggestion since your school does not do honor's night:

Invite your congressman and senators to the "signing" and ask your son's academy liaison officer to do the presentation. If he cannot do it, he may know an officer who would be happy to present. Notify the editors of your local paper - maybe they will send a photographer to take a picture of the "signing". Ask a friend to take pictures and submit them with your own writeup of the event in case the paper does not send someone. I'll bet it will make your local paper - perhaps that would be better that an honor's night. And be sure to celebrate at a local restaurant after! Can I come? :wink:

The presentation of an appointment is handled in many different ways. It depends on your school. Some candidate appointees want the recognition and ask for help to plan for it, others prefer to stay under the radar.
 
That's a great idea...thanks! You are welcome to come...but for you to miss the 285 traffic we might schedule it for 5 a.m.!
 
mom3boys -

In my area, local recruiting officers are assigned high schools to go recruit at. It is very common for the assigned recruiter to come to the school for these special events to make presentations. The school's guidance office, adminstrative office or ROTC instructor should know who to contact.
 
I'm sure in this area we will have plenty of options for who to make the presentation...anothermom and I are just a bit annoyed that this isn't taking place at honors night...they absolutely refuse to do this at that time...and it won't matter who is doing the presentation. Since our sons are on the swim/dive team it will likely be handled like a "signing day." We just like the kids to get the attention they deserve. Our school doesn't call out any scholarships that are not awarded by the school...hard and fast rule. We had a kid get a full ride to Harvard a couple years back...no one knew until we read it in the paper. We have an opportunity to bring accolades to our school and community, yet we don't take advantage of it and honor all the kids who have worked so hard. I was mad three years ago when my friend's son got his AFA appt. in the back hallway, and I'm still mad.
 
Having been involved for manyyyyy years as a parent volunteer in my kids' schools, parents have more influence than most people think.

It takes extra planning and personnel to pull-off one of these events, and the school may not want to or have the personnel to accomplish it. That doesn't mean that it shouldn't be done (especially with such a large HS). If I were you, I'd check with surrounding HS's to see how they handle end of year activities for their seniors. If they all have events that include "academic achievements" during their "Senior Awards Nights", then you can present it at your school's PTA or School Advisory meetings. (Just be willing to say "I'll help.") Point out the prestige (community support and maybe some funding) that advertising all these honors could bring to the high school (not to mention the principal). :wink:

The next step would be to contact your county/area superintendent's office and be "pleasantly persistent" until you make your point/get an answer/apply a little pressure. The more parents from your school that you can represent while pursuing this option the better.

Good Luck - a little "rabble rousing" is good for the soul. :shake:
 
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I agree...am planning that route...I work for the school system, so I have to tread cautiously...as does anothermom....but we definitely will be squeaky wheels! Everytime I mention the idea of doing something different, the swim coach rolls her eyes!!
 
Went through this last year -- took it all the way to our Superintendent and got closed down. My son had an appointment to USMA and 2 others had appointments to USAFA -- none got recongnized at honors night or graduation. The thing that made me angry was that they DID announce the student with the scholarship to Harvard. These were the first Service Academy appointments ever from this school. We lobbied as a group and were told it was up to the individual school, and the school informed us that because "all students don't know what their scholarships are by honors night, it would be unfair", and that graduation "was not the appropriate venue". :confused: Our MALO even called the school to try and expalin why the appointment differs in so many ways from a "scholarship". It was especially galling since his brother graduated 3 years ahead of him at a different school in the same system and had his USMA appointment presented by our Congressman at graduation. Sometimes you wonder...
 
Depending on the size of the graduating class, Graduation may not be the best forum to announce scholarships. My d's class was over 600 and Graduation without extra announcements was long. There was only a reference to the valedictorian's college choice, and top 10% students were asked to briefly stand.

Her school always has a Senior Awards Night that announces: community service scholarship awards (i.e. Kiwanis, Rotary, etc.), top student in each subject (over 4 year period), scholarship awards, top 10%, NHS, etc. At this event ribbons/medallions, gold cords (top 10%), silver cords (250+ volunteer service hours), and a few other special medallions/ribbons are also awarded. My d was award a black/gold ribbon and medallion representing the Army (West Point) from the school's recruiter. The students are allowed to wear these ribbons/medallions to graduation. Her black and gold certainly stood out amongst all the red and gold (school colors). She was only 2 that went to SAs; the other went to AFA prep.

The sports teams have their own banquet celebrating all the achievements of the teams and team members, including sports scholarships.

Sometimes principals have a hard time breaking traditions, or with all their other duties, just choose not to take on one more thing. Maybe a committee of senior parents could volunteer to coordinate/assist the Guidance Dept.

Go for it!!! Good Luck!!!
 
Hmmm... We had a WP Candidate graduating from our high school two years ago. The Board of Education Members always stand up on stage along with the supt. and high school principal to congratulate the graduates as they are walking across the stage to receive their diploma. This school is smaller in size (ca. 800), but big in heart and very competitive with the larger school systems in our state. On graduation night, they like to make it known just how much scholarship money has been offered to their graduating class as a "first class school", so an insert in the grad. program has a list of the monies offered to each student. With this in mind, the School Board waited until all the new graduates were seated again, and made a big announcement of this young man's appointment to USMA, asking him to stand and announcing the worth of the academy's 4-yr tuition. Ooohs and aaaahs and standing ovation from the audience! (I think this candidate was a little overwhelmed!).

So: How about getting someone to go directly to the Board of Education for some support for recognition, esp. emphasizing the scholarship award part of the appt? I don't know many school systems who would turn down that kind of publicity, just because it makes the school look good, if not for the sake of recognizing the hard work and dedication of our academy appointees!!

It would be worth a try, anyway.
 
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