Graduate Checklist

Graduation Dress

1. How To Dress for Graduation (under the gown): Let your students know about appropriate graduation dress. Men generally wear dark trousers and a dress shirt and tie under their gowns. Women usually wear a lightweight dress or a blouse and a skirt that is shorter than the gown so it does not hang below the robe.

2. How To Wear a Graduation Cap: The high school graduation cap is worn flat on the head, one point of the square facing forward (like a diamond). Students are allowed to decorate the tops of their graduation caps, as long as it is school appropriate.

3. High school graduation tassel: Tassels are worn on the right side at the start of the graduation ceremony, and you flip it to the left when graduates receive their diplomas.

4. Graduation Gown How To: High school graduation gowns should fall midway between the knee and ankle. They are worn over your regular clothing, zipped up in the front. Women often wear a white or gold collar, while men usually do not wear a collar.

5. Honor Cords How To: The middle knot is put behind your neck. Bring the honor cords to the front, hanging down your sides with two tassels on each side.

Graduation Day Check List

1. Clothing: Make sure to bring your cap, gown, tassel, and appropriate clothing to wear beneath the robe. If your tassel comes detached from the cap, it's easier to attach it before the ceremony. If you have an honor cord, sash, medallion, or other indicia of honors, make sure to bring that with you as well. The next page of these how-to directions will explain how to wear those items..

2. Seating Assignment: Each student's guests will be allowed to sit anywhere in the ballroom on a first-come, first-served basis

3. Purses, Backpacks, and other Bags: You will likely be walking from your seat to the podium to receive your diploma. If you're not comfortable leaving this at your seat, leave them instead with your friends or family in the audience before the ceremony begins.

4. Speeches: If you're delivering a commencement speech of any kind, like a cum laude or honors speech, make sure you have it with you, or your notes if you are working off of notes rather than a complete speech.

5. Graduation Cap and Gown Returns / Disposal: If you are using a rental gown, be sure you know where to turn it in after the ceremony. Some schools are now also collecting donated robes for a recycle program, with students keeping the cap and/or tassel as a memento. Locate these recycle bins prior to the ceremony so you know where to go afterwards.

6. Diploma: Be sure you keep your diploma safely, and don't wrinkle it, since it's likely going to be framed later.