Order the cap and gown! Print off the diploma! Join forces with parents of other homeschool seniors to create an unforgettable high school graduation. Homeschoolers know how to think out of the box. We can do the same for a graduation ceremony. Make it personal. Make it fun. Make it casual. Keep it small. Here’s how my friends and I pulled together a spectacular graduation celebration for our four sons. Read up on the ceremony logistics, necessary items, tips on outdoor spaces, and ideas for making this celebration over-the-top.
A PERSONALIZED CEREMONY
Make it personal. Feature each student in a special way. Share the incredible education journey each student has taken including the accomplishments achieved along the way. Mention future plans. Hear personal statements from the people who know your child the best – you!
Make it fun. Have the student “march” up to his or her theme song. Have the graduates walk back as a group to loud celebration music and confetti canons.
Make it casual. Forgo the somber pomp and circumstance of a traditional ceremony. Old-school guests who expect a somber ceremony might feel dismayed by a casual ceremony, but they may forgive you when they see how much fun everybody is having. Wear casual clothing under the gowns. Laugh and cheer. Make mistakes. It’s okay.
Keep it small. The smaller the number of students, the more time each student will have to be featured. We had four students and our ceremony lasted 30 minutes.
OUR CEREMONY
We chose to begin our ceremony with prayer. After the opening, our master of ceremony invited the parents of the first student to stand up front while the student waited at the back of the audience. The MC read the student’s education biography and accomplishments. The student was then invited to join his parents up front. During the “march” up the aisle, the student’s “theme” song played. The audience was amused hearing the unique selections. Spoiler alert: no student picked Pomp & Circumstance.
The parents then shared 3-minutes of special thoughts and stories about their child. A diploma was presented to the student by a parent and a short photo op moment was granted. The student then sat off to the side while the parents returned to their seats. The next set of parents was invited up front and the process repeated.
Once all the students were presented diplomas, they stood up as a group and turned their tassels from right to left upon cue. This would have been the perfect time for someone to pray over them and pray for the upcoming meal. Once the tassels were turned, Celebrate Good Times by Kool & the Gang kicked off the final portion of the celebration. The students walked slowly back down the aisle to the explosions of confetti canons, cheering, and clapping.
Immediately afterwards, a photographer snapped photos of the graduates. We were fortunate to have a parent who is a professional photographer.
STUDENT BIOGRAPHIES AND PARENT STATEMENTS
Each parent submitted a short biography of their child’s educational pathway, extracurricular activities, and accomplishments to the designated master of ceremony a few days before the event so she could get familiar with the facts. Parents also prepared a 3-minute speech about their child. This is the moment for a parent to say how proud he or she is of certain accomplishments or certain personality traits. These moments were very touching and had the side effect of choking up parents. Just be warned, the emotions can sneak up on you.
Decide in advance how long you want each presentation to be. If each family gets 5 minutes, multiply that by the number of students. Our ceremony featured 4 students and lasted 30 minutes from start to finish. That was the perfect length to give each student special attention yet not too long to get bored.
CAPS AND GOWNS
We ordered a cap, tassel, gown, stole, and cords online. Make sure to iron the gowns and stoles beforehand. Since we were in a casual setting, our students wore shorts and polo shirts under the gowns. It would have been really cool if the MC wore a cap and gown too. Come to think of it, since parents are the instructors in homeschool, they could have worn their cap and gowns too!
DIPLOMAS
Order a diploma online or custom make your own. If you design your own, consider buying a gold seal sticker for it. Diplomas can be presented in a diploma cover or rolled up and tied with a ribbon. Consider making a “ceremony” copy of the diploma to use at the graduation so the original can stay at home.
THE DIPLOMA TABLE
Place an attractive table front and center to serve as a backdrop and a place for the diplomas. We used a stretch black tablecloth that covered the top and legs of a folding 6-foot table for an elegant look. A beautiful bouquet of flowers was placed on the table. Balloons would have been a nice touch, but our outdoor setting was not balloon friendly. The diplomas were placed on the table in the order the students were called. Have parents stand in front of this table when they present.
SLIDE SHOW
Create a PowerPoint slide show featuring each student from baby to high school senior and leave it on repeat for the entire event. Include a section of photos of the friends together. Five seconds between photos seemed appropriate. The number of images included for each student depends on how many students are graduating. We had four graduates and featured 15 photos for each student. We were also fortunate to rummage up many shots of the students together. In all we had 100 slides. Include gifs and captions to add humor and interest to the show. One of our students had a minion themed birthday party that all the boys attended when they were in elementary school, so I included minion gifs throughout the show. LOL!
TIPS FOR OUTDOOR SLIDE SHOWS
If your event is outside as ours was, do not underestimate how the wind can affect your screen. Even with sandbags on the base of a frame, screens catch wind and can tip and billow. To avoid that problem, we hung a 60-in x 60-in piece of white vinyl with brass eyelets punched into the corners and sides, six altogether. Materials were purchased at Joann’s. I hemmed all sides with my sewing machine to provide an attractive finish, but this is unnecessary for a one-time event. I use this screen for my outdoor courses, so I put more effort into creating it. The screen was bungeed between two shelter support posts six feet apart, so the surface was taut and wind resistant. We used six bungee cords, one for each eyelet.
If your celebration is outside, consider the lumens of your machine. Make sure it has enough lumens to produce a good image in daylight. Daylight can wash out your show. Avoid orienting the screen with the sun behind it. If you must, line the back of the screen with black flannel. Our shelter is somewhat dark on any given day, but the early evening time period was a plus. Practice with your equipment beforehand.
Since we did not have electricity, we used a completely silent battery generator to run the projector and computer.
MICROPHONE
A microphone is a must no matter where the ceremony takes place. Since we were outdoors with no electricity, we hooked up a microphone and amplifier to a car battery. This set up can avoid the use of long extension cords.
MUSIC
We used a Bluetooth speaker with Spotify on a phone to play soft background music before and after the ceremony. A playlist was made in advance of each student’s theme song. A designated DJ handled the playlist.
FOOD
Cater the food and split the cost. An organized potluck is also a fantastic option. Perhaps there’s a grill master in your group. No graduation is complete without the cake decorated with the graduates’ names. Add extra desserts for more fun. Our party had homemade pies, ice cream with toppings, and mini cheesecakes.
Consider appetizers. Serve appetizers to the set-up crew before the event kicks off. We served a platter of Chick-fil-A nuggets and other appetizers (pickles, olives, chips, and dips). The crew which consisted of the students and their friends had a great time setting up, snacking, and socializing. There was plenty of food to accommodate guests before the ceremony too which helped jumpstart the party mood.
Drinks were packed in a cooler of ice. An ice bucket was available for clean ice.
Bring along plastic wrap, aluminum foil, extra foil pans, disposable containers, and Ziplock bags to help pack up the foods at the end of the event. This is especially helpful if you are catering the meal. Shoot for no waste.
GUESTS
Invite family and special friends. Consider inviting beloved instructors your kids had. The German teacher our boys had visited and made the event extra special. And don’t forget Sunday school teachers and youth pastors.
Make sure to invite the homeschool skeptics in your life to show them how awesome homeschoolers are.
GIFTS
As a group we opted against gifts at this event for several reasons. We figured families could share gifts in a private setting at a later date.
PHOTOGRAPHY
There are several ways to capture this special event. A videographer would be a nice touch. The cost could be split between families. Perhaps you know someone who is willing to video record the event using a tripod and camera at no cost. A family member could record it too. A photographer could be hired to snap photos throughout the event. Staged photos can be taken before the ceremony or after.
If you take photos after the ceremony, consider when to begin the meal. Should photos be taken while the guests begin to eat, or should guests wait until the photo session is done? One thing is for sure, if the graduates take off their gowns, they probably won’t want to put them back on.
WHERE TO HAVE THIS EVENT
Graduations hit during the wedding season so venues may be hard to book. If you want an indoor venue, book the place well in advance. Consider having the graduation before the end of the school year like we did. Our group wanted an outdoor setting. We selected an oversized shelter at a local park with 20 tables. The outdoor setting is a good fit for graduation for several reasons. First, outdoor graduations are not unheard of. Second, the outdoor space allows children to play field games and run around before and after the ceremony. Third, shelter space is more affordable and more available than indoor spaces. Fourth, the outdoor space allows for better for photography.
TIPS FOR PARK SHELTER USAGE
Ideally, the shelter should have a source of electricity if you want to run a sound system and projector. But there are workarounds which we had to use. A nearby bathroom facility is essential.
Make reservations well in advance and learn about restrictions which may include parking, sound volume, flames, alcohol usage, and signage. Add extra hours to the reservation for arranging tables, setting up technology, decorating, and clean up. If the tables have heavy metal bases, bring dollies and strong helpers to move them.
Visit the shelter well in advance. Gather data and draw your ideal floor plan. Measure the dimensions of the shelter. Where’s the electric source? Count the number of tables. Measure the size of the tables. Where will the food tables be? How many tables will be needed for food? For guests? Which side of the shelter will the ceremony take place? Will you need folding tables or chairs? Where will the projector screen be placed? How far are the support posts located from each other? Where can vehicles be parked? Where will the “walk up” aisle be located? Where will the sun be at that time?
Bring along a leaf blower in case the shelter has leaf debris. If you have room pack a large garbage can so guests have an easy place to throw out plates, cups, etc. Garbage cans at parks are sometimes full and often have an awkward flap to struggle with.
TIPS FOR DECORATING OUTDOOR SPACES
Do not underestimate the impact that wind currents can have on your party. To avoid letting wind be the focus of your special event, make some wise decisions regarding decorations before the event. Plastic tablecloths are a no-go even in light wind conditions. Table clips may keep plastic cloths on the table, but when air gets under the plastic they billow in the most obnoxious way. Avoid this. Purchase fabric tablecloths. Bring along weights and/or table clips in case the wind insists on flipping the cloths. We purchased cotton tablecloths from Walmart. Walmart also sells table clips in the party section. Fabric tablecloths can be washed and sold afterwards on Marketplace if you have no future events planned. People are always looking for affordable event tablecloths. For the food tables, we used heavy plastic tablecloths and clipped then down.
Some decorations can be a regrettable choice for outdoor events. Balloon stands are definitely a bad choice as the wind can blow them over and blow the balloons off their clips. Even if you tie down latex balloons, they may pop on the wood surfaces of a shelter. Talk about distracting! The best balloon option is mylar ballons tied down. In general, avoid decorations that are distracting if the wind blows like streamers and hanging paper decorations.
To make the shelter space look less rustic and more elegant, plan to cover every table with a tablecloth. Use cheaper ones with clips on the food tables. Consider hurricane lanterns with battery operated “candles.” Add small flower arrangements on each table too. I bought three $5 bouquets of flowers from the grocery store and divided them between 16 fancy drink glasses from a thrift store. Mason jars covered in cellophane plastic would be pretty too. I added greens from my garden and anchored the stems in glass cabochons.
GAMES
Holding this event at a park shelter came with a perk we all deemed irreplaceable – the large field. A large field provided the opportunity for soccer, volleyball, and cornhole. When you are dealing with high school boys and their siblings, a place to get crazy is necessary.
WHEN TO HAVE YOUR GRADUATION CEREMONY
Graduations are typically conducted at the end of the school year in May or June. Who’s to say that you can’t conduct a graduation ceremony before the last day of class? When you homeschool, you can do things a bit differently. We held our graduation the second week of March due to an emergency situation and discovered that the timing had certain benefits and no drawbacks. In North Carolina, the months of March, April, and early May are the perfect time to be outside because the temperatures are cooler, there are no bugs, and the parks are not busy. We all agree that no matter when we held this ceremony, there would be awesome photographs, touching speeches, great food, lots of fun, and super special memories. When our children are older, they will remember these things and not when it was held. An early graduation ceremony could be followed by a family graduation party with gifts when your school year ends. What’s not to like about having two parties to celebrate your accomplishments?
YOU CAN DO THIS!
You don’t need to find an impersonal homeschool graduation ceremony to mark your child’s special day. Pull together your homeschool inventiveness and your likeminded homeschool friends to create a ceremony that will give each graduate his or her well-deserved recognition.