Anonymous wrote:Cabin John's ceremony is spectacular. Costs $250 per family, but includes a world-class buffet (king crab and lobster), guest musical artists, a swag bag with local gift cards and other goodies for the kids. We love it.

Cool - did they nab The Donald as the commencement speaker?

Cabin John's ceremony is spectacular. Costs $250 per family, but includes a world-class buffet (king crab and lobster), guest musical artists, a swag bag with local gift cards and other goodies for the kids. We love it.

Kids went to Hoover. No graduation or promotion ceremony there either and that was perfectly fine with us.

Anonymous wrote:No graduation for public middle schools. It would be a waste of time and money to have to attend such a large event and watch each and ever student walk across a stage.

Our local public elementary school had a graduation of sorts for fifth graders. That was very sweet and much more manageable because it was a smaller number of students.

I know the parochial schools all have graduation for their eighth graders...but they don't have one for fifth graders, and many of these schools have less than 30 students graduating. It is usually a very nice event taking place in the church with the pastor and other priests in attendance. The kids all split up for high school, attending a multitude of schools in the area, so this is a nice way to say goodbye.

My kid's public middle school has a promotion ceremony. I don't yet know what happens at it, because it's two weeks from now.

Also, apparently it used to be at the high school, but now it isn't any more, because there is no more final exam period at the high school; it will be at the middle school, outdoors. And since we all know that MCPS only got rid of the exam periods to dumb down the education of the high-achieving children in the DCUM demographics, clearly the on-site, outdoors middle-school promotion ceremony similarly represents the MCPS effort to ruin our kids' lives. Or, um, something.

Anonymous wrote:We just had an awards ceremony that you went to if your child was getting something. That was it for 8th. I have one for my 5th grader in a few weeks. Never understood "congratulations you got out of Elementary School" but we will go.

I've never understood "congratulations you entered into a state-recognized civil non-business partnership", but I've been to plenty of weddings. I've even had a nice time at most of them!

The middle schools in the DCC have an 8th grade promotion. 5th grade too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my Bethesda ES there's a graduation for 5th graders and all kinds of extra activities/ceremonies just for them. Parents have to pay $85 for the privilege. Ridiculous, IMO.

I am ok with a ceremony, by what costs $85? Renting a cap and gown? Even at wealthy schools, there are going to be people that this is a hardship for. And I could afford it, but I certainly would prefer not to spend money that way.

The money goes towards parties, memory books and other assorted events.

No graduation for public middle schools. It would be a waste of time and money to have to attend such a large event and watch each and ever student walk across a stage.

Our local public elementary school had a graduation of sorts for fifth graders. That was very sweet and much more manageable because it was a smaller number of students.

I know the parochial schools all have graduation for their eighth graders...but they don't have one for fifth graders, and many of these schools have less than 30 students graduating. It is usually a very nice event taking place in the church with the pastor and other priests in attendance. The kids all split up for high school, attending a multitude of schools in the area, so this is a nice way to say goodbye.

Anonymous wrote:We transferred here last year and have an 8th grader. I assumed there would be an 8th grade graduation, but haven't heard anything about one. Does Pyle not do a graduation?

That's your first mistake, that assumption right there.

Eighth graders don't need a "graduation".

Anonymous wrote:At my Bethesda ES there's a graduation for 5th graders and all kinds of extra activities/ceremonies just for them. Parents have to pay $85 for the privilege. Ridiculous, IMO.

I am ok with a ceremony, by what costs $85? Renting a cap and gown? Even at wealthy schools, there are going to be people that this is a hardship for. And I could afford it, but I certainly would prefer not to spend money that way.

I actually like a ceremony as a way to get parents together.

Anonymous wrote:At my Bethesda ES there's a graduation for 5th graders and all kinds of extra activities/ceremonies just for them. Parents have to pay $85 for the privilege. Ridiculous, IMO.

Same thing at our school. Parents love to spend other people's money.

At my Bethesda ES there's a graduation for 5th graders and all kinds of extra activities/ceremonies just for them. Parents have to pay $85 for the privilege. Ridiculous, IMO.

They have an event at Whitman, but it is only for students.

We just had an awards ceremony that you went to if your child was getting something. That was it for 8th. I have one for my 5th grader in a few weeks. Never understood "congratulations you got out of Elementary School" but we will go.