Pemberton Voice readers seem almost split on whether the school district should hold a traditional cap and gown ceremony for Helen Fort Middle School 8th grade students.
About 80 people took part in our unscientific poll as of May 12, with the majority of 55 percent opting out of the formal ceremony held at Burlington County College. Some 43 percent feel the ceremony should stay and about three percent felt the issue was not important.
These numbers may change as the month and discussion with the Board of Education continue, but for now, this is the issue.
Personally, I don’t see where ending the ceremony is going to produce educational dividends by keeping students motivated to get through high school.
According to district officials, the dropout rate is only three percent. That means a graduation rate of 97 percent. That is a pretty successful number compared to districts throughout the state.
The last town I covered, Torrington, Connecticut, officials were grappling with a 20 percent dropout rate.
With a rate that high, I could see the board considering doing something to keep students focused on the high school sheepskin prize. Maybe this kind of solution would be a good fit for that district, but not Pemberton.
Students, one expert I interviewed said, need some form of public recognition for getting through the difficult middle school years. She even went so far as to say it was “critical.”
Although Superintendent Michael Gorman assures us the measure is not based in finances, the cost of the event is less than $5,000.
The district spent $4,200 last year with an additional amount for security and maintenance staff that was absorbed into the existing budgeted hours for the employees.
That translates to just more than $11-$12 per student for the 357 8th graders enrolled.
I don’t know about you, but it seems to me it is a small amount to give back to successful students completing middle school. Those dollars would not buy that many supplies or textbooks.
Educationally, I think these ceremonies help mature and focus students on the value of life-long learning which is essential in today’s global marketplace.
I remember graduating 6th grade with a ceremony and both my daughters walked for middle school graduations. They were very proud days for us as parents and for them as well.
One other reason espoused for possibly eliminating the ceremony is that some parents may go overboard celebrating the event with limos and parties and the like.
I also believe there is nothing wrong with taking the student out to eat with the family to celebrate, and I agree that renting limos and having full-scale blowout parties is not appropriate at that level. I think it does send a very wrong message to our children.
That said, however, those issues are up to individual parents and the size of their bank accounts. It is not a reason, I think, the board should consider while looking at this proposal.
In my opinion, eliminating the ceremony will save little money and may end up raising the low dropout rate. There are too many possible cons outweighing the potential pros of making students perform better in high school or trying to focus maybe 10 students out of the 357 that statistically will end their high school career before getting a diploma.
The board should consider this issue very carefully before acting.
