Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still laughing at "mediocre". I mean, this isn't the Oscars. And I'm gonna manage your expectations; college, which you pay an arm and a leg for isn't much better. At UMCP, my major graduated in the Armory. We were jealous of those in the chapel up the hill; but were also thankful we weren't in the field house where it smelled like they dumped chlorine in the indoor pool the day before graduation. In the grand scheme of things, this is so stupid. And like another poster said, I keep coming back for the lolz.

OP Here- My DD will be graduating college on the Lawn at UVA, not in some arena built in the 80s. EagleBank is where kids from schools like Robinson graduate. Rundown, old dilapidated part of the county full of strip malls, panhandlers, and dated neighborhoods

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still laughing at "mediocre". I mean, this isn't the Oscars. And I'm gonna manage your expectations; college, which you pay an arm and a leg for isn't much better. At UMCP, my major graduated in the Armory. We were jealous of those in the chapel up the hill; but were also thankful we weren't in the field house where it smelled like they dumped chlorine in the indoor pool the day before graduation. In the grand scheme of things, this is so stupid. And like another poster said, I keep coming back for the lolz.

OP Here- My DD will be graduating college on the Lawn at UVA, not in some arena built in the 80s. EagleBank is where kids from schools like Robinson graduate. Rundown, old dilapidated part of the county full of strip malls, panhandlers, and dated neighborhoods

Anonymous wrote:I'm still laughing at "mediocre". I mean, this isn't the Oscars. And I'm gonna manage your expectations; college, which you pay an arm and a leg for isn't much better. At UMCP, my major graduated in the Armory. We were jealous of those in the chapel up the hill; but were also thankful we weren't in the field house where it smelled like they dumped chlorine in the indoor pool the day before graduation. In the grand scheme of things, this is so stupid. And like another poster said, I keep coming back for the lolz.

Anonymous wrote:PP and I’ll go ahead and say it:

I detest huge events like graduations! Even if I’m graduating! Even if DC is the graduate. Ugh.

So overblown and overly detailed for a pro photo of your DC walking across the stage to accept a prop diploma.

My own mom said years ago when she was a spry 70 (grandmother of 14) that she didn’t want/need an invitation to preschool/kindergarten/HS or college graduations. She made a blanket RSVP - no!

Just not my thing. Nicest graduation was during Covid when DC graduated from college: parents invited to an open house type thing where grad wore cap/gown and got pro photos and families encouraged to linger to take as many outdoor photos as they wanted. No boring speeches, no assembly, no pomp - just the good stuff.

Anonymous wrote:OP is mortified because she'd already sold the graduation to relatives as a DAR event. Now she'll have to break the news. They will refuse to come. It will be a huge thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the high schools are pushing 3000 students.

According to the locals, FCPS switched to GMU and other indoor venues sometime in the early 90s when a torrential thunderstorm/hail/tornado warnings occured in the middle of graduation night ceremonies.

Everyone had to run for cover inside the school.


They put grads in the gym and everyone else in various locations inside and tried to finish using the PA system.

Then the power went out

My long time resident neighbors said after that disaster, fcps switched to indoor venue graduations.

They do the same thing in the midwest city that I grew up in. Same reasons of an unfortunate spring tornado warning and hail hitting in the middle of graduation ceremonies.

The graduations of small schools are in their respective schools.

Graduations of all the large schools are at the convention center.

WSHS, Class of 1989!

It was a mess.

Anonymous wrote:Only the top high schools get DAR as their graduation venue. McLean, Langley, Madison, Marshall.

Eagle Bank is for the riffraff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only the top high schools get DAR as their graduation venue. McLean, Langley, Madison, Marshall.

Eagle Bank is for the riffraff.

DAR is the worst. We are at one of those schools and I’m hoping they change by the time by younger kids are seniors. It’s a hassle to get to DC, seats are limited, parking is horrible.

Don’t park. Take a Lift there and then you can lift home(yes, it does take about 30-40 minutes to get one, but you enjoy your surroundings while you wait.). Or you can take metro. Or Lift down and get a neighbor with a junior to pick you up and then do the same for them next year. NBD.

Anonymous wrote:Some of the high schools are pushing 3000 students.

According to the locals, FCPS switched to GMU and other indoor venues sometime in the early 90s when a torrential thunderstorm/hail/tornado warnings occured in the middle of graduation night ceremonies.

Everyone had to run for cover inside the school.


They put grads in the gym and everyone else in various locations inside and tried to finish using the PA system.

Then the power went out

My long time resident neighbors said after that disaster, fcps switched to indoor venue graduations.

They do the same thing in the midwest city that I grew up in. Same reasons of an unfortunate spring tornado warning and hail hitting in the middle of graduation ceremonies.

The graduations of small schools are in their respective schools.

Graduations of all the large schools are at the convention center.