No more Honor Cords, Stoles etc at future FCPS Graduations?

[Anonymous]

Back in my day (90s) I think we had the following:

NHS collar
Top 5% and 10% cords
Medals for top 1-10

We didn't get cords for every little activity and we had to walk uphill in the snow there and back.

[Anonymous]

I graduated 31 years ago.

We had a gold stole for NHS. That's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back in my day (90s) I think we had the following:

NHS collar
Top 5% and 10% cords
Medals for top 1-10

We didn't get cords for every little activity and we had to walk uphill in the snow there and back.

I graduated in the top 20 of my 500 student HS graduating class in the mid 1990s and the only designation I had was a stole for being in the National Honor Society. Thar's it. Everything else was a departmental or extracurricular award handed out weeks before at an end of years awards ceremony. Nobody wore any medals, ribbons, cords, etc. We all looked the same.

[Anonymous]

^Not mid 1990s. I meant the mid 1980s.

[Anonymous]

Troll OP apparently didn’t get enough outrage on last week’s thread about academic recognition in ES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. The cords are expensive and mean nothing.

Why does it mean nothing to get good grades in multiple AP classes, get over a 4.0 GPA, complete service hours, be in National Honor Society, etc.?

I haven't been to a FCPS graduation, but do they actually announce all these things or print them in the program? Is there a program? If not, they are at least a visible way to acknowledge hard work and success.
I think it's crazy to do away with all of that.

We already don't have valedictorians or class rank, which is a real problem on college applications.

Valedictorians are not awarded until well after college applications have been submitted and well after students have been accepted.

[Anonymous]

That’s a shame. They should get one day to be recognized for their hard academic rigor. Give them the cords. Let them relish in one moment of accomplishment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did we have all that stuff 30 years ago? Looking at college graduations now I see them wearing all these stoles and cords, and it seems like they have one for every little thing now. For high school is it only an honors cord or do they too now have a bunch of different ones? I think just a cap and gown is fine. Celebrate the achievement of graduation at the graduation ceremony, and let the other stuff be celebrated at separate award ceremonies or whatever.

I graduated in the 1980s from a midwest highschool and wore a National Honor Society stole, a Mu Alpha Theta cord and an International Thespian Society tassel (2 tassels worn, the school and the honor society)

So yes, we have had these things at high school graduation for decades and decades.

It is very American to visually recognize outstanding achievement and honor societies at high school graduations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s a shame. They should get one day to be recognized for their hard academic rigor. Give them the cords. Let them relish in one moment of accomplishment.

They already get that before graduation. You just want your kid to be draped in cords for your Facebook or Instagram page.

[Anonymous]

It would not surprise me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cords and stoles are completely out of control. It is ridiculous.

FCPS has a very short list of cords and tassels.

Honor grad stole
National Honor Society cape
AP Scholar national medal
Department award medal

State level recognition medals for things like All Virginia choir or 1st place state champions in a sport, National History Day, etc

Academic national honor societies cords (math, german, music, theater, history, etc)

Eagle Scout/Girl Scout Gold Award cord

Military Service cord (enlistment, ROTC scholarship, Service Academy appointment)

Purple cord for military dependents

Service cord (for volunteer service diploma)

National EMT cord given to students who professionally certify as EMTs with the county

There might be one or two others.

There are enough that every kid who works hard can earn something. For example, every srident in FCPS can earn the service cord, regardless of grades, if they just put in a little bit of work to earn one.

It is absurd that fcps would get rid of the cords over parent complaints and equity, although it would not surprise me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone else's child come home and reported this update for all FCPS graduations next year?

I'm told that since we don't want to make some kids feel bad - no graduates will be allowed to wear honor cords showing their achievements starting with next year's graduations.

Is this what we've come to? Protecting the fragile feelings of some kids who has chosen to concentrate their achievements elsewhere (ie, could be community, sports) or just decided academic achievement wasn't a focus for them. And now no graduates are allowed to celebrate academic achievements.

So disappointed, FCPS.
Want to know if others have heard this as well.

Unpopular opinion: Maybe they should be made to feel bad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good. The cords are expensive and mean nothing.

No they are NOT expensive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I graduated from high school, we had a National Honor Society cord and that was it. I've heard that there are dozens now and that it's out of control.

Mu Alpha Theta and International Thespian Society had cords when you were in high school. (1980s)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good. The cords are expensive and mean nothing.

Why does it mean nothing to get good grades in multiple AP classes, get over a 4.0 GPA, complete service hours, be in National Honor Society, etc.?

I haven't been to a FCPS graduation, but do they actually announce all these things or print them in the program? Is there a program? If not, they are at least a visible way to acknowledge hard work and success.
I think it's crazy to do away with all of that.

We already don't have valedictorians or class rank, which is a real problem on college applications.

So you just want to be able to show off that you have a smart kid who joined a lot of clubs? Shouldn't the knowledge that your child achieved all of this be enough?

Clubs don't have cords.

The ofgicial FCPS is for nationally recognized honor societies that require specific set grade minimums, set volunteer hours, and other requirements.