Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

You're way off. My kid is a sophomore and not on track for any of the cords I mentioned, himself. He is a varsity athlete, but I doubt they get cords. I still think that academic acheivement should be celebrated, and what better place than at graduation?
Now, as I said in my PP, if they are being acknowledge in some other way (announced at graduation or in the graduation program or at a separate awards dinner) then that is great and I love not participating in buying expensive cords. But if this is a backhanded way to NOT honor academic acheivement - like not having class rank or valedictorians, then I think it's the wrong decision.

Our school has a “class day” before graduation where lots of kids with special achievements are recognized. And I’d be surprised if graduation programs don’t continue to recognize kids in NHS, AP Scholars, IB diploma-track kids, etc.

This mostly sounds like discouraging a lot of expensive, extraneous, and sometimes controversial bling at graduation so, if it’s true, kudos to Reid.

The graduation programs in FCPS are no linger allowed to recognize honor grads or any honor societies in the graduation programs.

That was banned starting with class of 2025 after a class of 2024 parent pitched a huge fit up to Dr. Reid over honor grad recognition at graduation.

The honor stoles are the only recognition remaining in fcps for honor grads, national honor society, and other honor societies.

Anonymous wrote:I don't agree with this but it's a good life lesson. Even professionally there have been times where I was excelling but management purposely slow rolled me so as not to hurt the feelings of slower coworkers. I wasn't told that at that time, but several years later.

Anonymous wrote:I think the bogus cords dilute the importance of the academic ones- like IB diploma stoles or NHS.

Anonymous wrote:The kids do cord hauls:

https://www.tiktok.com/@caisy.c/video/7508571934544678187

https://www.tiktok.com/@mac.astro/video/7640193774899039501

https://www.tiktok.com/@ava.talks.too.much/video/7509288251874790702

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So will FCPS employee also then not wear their stoles for masters or phd? Just writing that makes this is all just silly now- the ceremony is for the pomp and circumstance so if not doing that, just email the diplomas in a .pdf file. If took vote, many would likely vote for that.

I am a professor and have attended graduation at my institution a few times. I would love if we didn't have to wear any of the regalia. The hat, hood, and stripes on the sleeves are velvet. The robe is so much heavier than what anyone else wears. The cap looks silly and does not stay in place. I am all for having a ceremony for those who want that experience (I didn't even attend my own doctoral hooding; had started my job by then and didn't care), but would love to wear practical clothing! Most people don't even recognize the difference between the master's and doctoral regalia anyway.

Anonymous wrote:We live elsewhere in Virginia and our kid graduated last week from high school. Didn't bother to pick up three cords or their stole or a medal, didn't want to participate in the look at me arms race. We were cool with that. Didn't bother to stand up for some parts of group recognition (with all students with a ___ please stand up). Then 90 percent of the graduates stand up. Kid won a huge departmental award the week before and that's all that mattered to them.

Anonymous wrote:I don't agree with this but it's a good life lesson. Even professionally there have been times where I was excelling but management purposely slow rolled me so as not to hurt the feelings of slower coworkers. I wasn't told that at that time, but several years later.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

You're way off. My kid is a sophomore and not on track for any of the cords I mentioned, himself. He is a varsity athlete, but I doubt they get cords. I still think that academic acheivement should be celebrated, and what better place than at graduation?
Now, as I said in my PP, if they are being acknowledge in some other way (announced at graduation or in the graduation program or at a separate awards dinner) then that is great and I love not participating in buying expensive cords. But if this is a backhanded way to NOT honor academic acheivement - like not having class rank or valedictorians, then I think it's the wrong decision.

Our school has a “class day” before graduation where lots of kids with special achievements are recognized. And I’d be surprised if graduation programs don’t continue to recognize kids in NHS, AP Scholars, IB diploma-track kids, etc.

This mostly sounds like discouraging a lot of expensive, extraneous, and sometimes controversial bling at graduation so, if it’s true, kudos to Reid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cords are absolutely a money grab. The achivements do mean something but students shouldn't be enouraged to need physical bling to celebrate or validate their achivements.

It is for Instagram and Tiktok.

Anonymous wrote:So will FCPS employee also then not wear their stoles for masters or phd? Just writing that makes this is all just silly now- the ceremony is for the pomp and circumstance so if not doing that, just email the diplomas in a .pdf file. If took vote, many would likely vote for that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

You're way off. My kid is a sophomore and not on track for any of the cords I mentioned, himself. He is a varsity athlete, but I doubt they get cords. I still think that academic acheivement should be celebrated, and what better place than at graduation?
Now, as I said in my PP, if they are being acknowledge in some other way (announced at graduation or in the graduation program or at a separate awards dinner) then that is great and I love not participating in buying expensive cords. But if this is a backhanded way to NOT honor academic acheivement - like not having class rank or valedictorians, then I think it's the wrong decision.

They are absolutely recognized in separate ceremonies/announcements/notifications.

NHS and each honors society have awards nights where inductees and members are recognized for their achievements. Juniors and seniors have awards ceremonies at school for things like department awards. NMSF are communicated to the whole school. Honor roll students are recognized at various points in the year.

Cords at graduation are just extraneous and repetitive. The only cords/pins/medals that aren't recognized at school are things from outside organizations, like eagle scout. Maybe you disagree, but I don't feel like it's critical to recognize a private/non academic organization at school. FCPS also gives cords to kids entering the military after graduation, or who have military parents. Again, is graduation the place for that?

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.

The cords mean nothing. The achievements don't mean nothing. Students have already been recognized for their achievements with honor roll ceremonies, NHS inductions, NMSF recognition, etc. Needing to pay $$$ to wear a bunch of strings for 2 hours is silly.

I do wish kids could decorate their caps though.

Anonymous wrote:It would be one thing if the school paid for all of this, but what about high achieving kids whose families can't afford them? Are you willing to pay into a fund for everyone to receive this recognition that you so deeply crave?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, could you please articulate why this is important to you/your kid?

(To be clear, I ask this question as the parent of kids who do very well academically, and their graduation accessories are not something that matters to me, so I'm trying to understand where you're coming from.)

The reasoning the kids were given is to protect the feelings of those who don't have honor cords -- who (whether voluntarily or involuntarily) decided not to join the honor societies or organizations that the honor cords denote. So, some kids are not being allowed to celebrate their hard won success to protect the fragility of others.

This is the same thing as the "participation trophy" in kindergarten soccer - -except now we are talking about adults about to enter the real world.

That’s your take.

My take is they can list honors in the graduation program without families springing for all these miscellaneous cords and stoles that are now way over the top.

If the kids just wear their graduation gowns we’ll also avoid the annual outrage when some students are wearing stoles with political connotations.