NationStates Jolt Archive

Recently, I graduated from 8th grade. I was showered in gifts (mostly cash) and went to 5 dances. Not that I hate money, but does anyone else think the celebration of middle school graduation is quite stupid? I mean you're required to graduate BY LAW! You don't celebrate after you use the crosswalk instead of jaywalking! So why celebrate after middle school graduation?! So...friggin'...stupid! :headbang:

It's not for your sake, it's for your parents. They like to have fond memories of your progression toward adulthood. It certainly isn't as prestegious as graduating from high school, that's for sure.

Grade 8 grad is really stupid. Honestly. I'm graduating from high school in two weeks, and I doubt I'll even get a 'congratulations' from most of my family, let alone gifts or money. I'm not complaining though, I've already beat the odds for reasons I'd rather not get into here.

I didn't get anything for graduating eighth grade this year. Fuck you. ;)

We didn't have a graduation for eighth grade either.. :rolleyes:

Recently, I graduated from 8th grade. I was showered in gifts (mostly cash) and went to 5 dances. Not that I hate money, but does anyone else think the celebration of middle school graduation is quite stupid? I mean you're required to graduate BY LAW! You don't celebrate after you use the crosswalk instead of jaywalking! So why celebrate after middle school graduation?! So...friggin'...stupid! :headbang: Why complain? You got $$ and crap! Go have fun!:mp5:

Why complain? You got $$ and crap! Go have fun!:mp5:

True, but...eh. You can't buy a good rant. :)

I remember 8th grade fondly...not. Celebrating the pass at that level seems a little extreme. All I got was a shift to a new school midsemester, a dangerously ill parent and a fail grade in mathematics. You got money, you say? That's astonishing to me. Where I'm from, a big fussy "graduation" from year 8 seems like celebrating an otherwise non-festive event. Like; Congratulations on recieving the fourth bank statement posted to your current address! or Congratulations on having Thai take-away for the 23rd time this year!

Completely irrelevant events. Maybe your culture is more existentialist than mine, and so you get to make meaning out of whatever event you like.

Damn. You got money. I got trauma. I feel jibbed.

It is important because it celebrates the completion of the last grade level you are required to complete. From here on out everything is optional. You have completed everything the government asks of you in terms of education. A lot of people will never finish high school and that is the last graduation they will have.

I left my crappy Catholic School after 6th grade. Then I went to a very good school that goes from 7th grade to 8th grade. Since I wasn't moving to a new school after 8th grade, I didn't have a graduation ceremony or anything...Which I was glad of. 8th grade graduation is completely pointless, in my opinion.

How Stupid is 8th Grade Graduation? Horrendously stupid ;)

Recently, I graduated from 8th grade. I was showered in gifts (mostly cash) and went to 5 dances. Not that I hate money, but does anyone else think the celebration of middle school graduation is quite stupid? I mean you're required to graduate BY LAW! You don't celebrate after you use the crosswalk instead of jaywalking! So why celebrate after middle school graduation?! So...friggin'...stupid! :headbang:
Oh it most deffinatly IS overhyped. I was watching something last year and they were saying how the average grade 8 graduation - for a girl - is upwards of $200 and stuff. I remember in grade 8 many of the girls got fake nails. The concept never even occured to me! wtf? we're old enough to wear fake nails? and for graduation? why? Ive gotten fake nails once in my life and that was a stupid idea cuz I play the violin.
And then kids went out and spent god knows how much on their hair and their dress and makeup and i just wanted to throw things at them. I wore my mothers dress and she did my hair and makeup.

...hm, its odd, she was actually far more hyped up about my graduation than I was. She was prancing around tyring out different shades of eyeshadow on me and i just sat there like "i wanna go play on the computer". Yeah yeah, computer geeks, been on message boards since long before my grade 8 graduation.

Its also odd that now since my graduating highschool my parents dont seem to care. They even refuse to buy me a graduation ring that they were so excited about during my grade 8 graduation.

*sigh*

I donno...this was all basically a vent any way, wasnt it.

My school district was too cheap for 8th grade graduation. We had one dance, and that was it. Our yearbook pictures weren't even in color, and I didn't get any money for "graduation". So, yes, it is VERY stupid.

I didn't have a graduation ceremony after 8th grade. The school just put on a big barty towards the end of June...Also, one of my classmates had a party of his own at a local park, I went to that.

No walking across a stage, no getting gifts.

Though at the school party I scored *ten* dollars' worth of deposit soda cans...

I had an eighth grade graduation, but it wasn't a big deal for us. No parties, no money, all I got was a few "Congratulations" cards from my family. I say nothing wrong with that, since graduations and the like are more for your parents than for yourself.

But people I know at other schools... hundreds of dollars in gifts and money, huge parties, one kid from my high school said his parents rented a park and hired a band. That's crazy, especially since it doesn't take much to pass eighth grade. Don't they just move you along whether you deserve it or not most of the time? *not trying to turn this into a social promotion debate, I swear*

It's so useless! :headbang:

Yeah, we had it to. Basically it was the parents going "Look at my baby/babies!", while the kids were going "Shut up, it's hot in here. I want to go home.". BAsically, it's for the parents. I got money, but only from my Grandma who thinks sending money = a relationship.

Where's the 'Myrth' option? :D

Recently, I graduated from 8th grade. I was showered in gifts (mostly cash) and went to 5 dances. Not that I hate money, but does anyone else think the celebration of middle school graduation is quite stupid? I mean you're required to graduate BY LAW! You don't celebrate after you use the crosswalk instead of jaywalking! So why celebrate after middle school graduation?! So...friggin'...stupid! :headbang:
We certainly didn't do that in Ohio back in the '60s and '70s. I don't see a big deal made of it in modern Georgia, either. Only time I remember 8th grade graduations being widely celebrated was when we lived in Monterey, CA. A lot of the schools would do that and I figured it was just because many of the kids that passed out of 8th grade would never make it to high school graduation.

On the other hand, if there's a chance to collect cash and prizes for no particular effort, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Any excuse for a party

Any excuse for a party
I concur.

My 8th grade graduation was last year. Wow. Used the huge football stadium of our then future high school. Massive. All for about 400 or so kids.

I liked it only for the little idea that my middle-school life was finally over and high school was going to begin.

Didn't like having to wear dress shoes like they required though. Damn them.

What age is 8th grade?

What age is 8th grade?It's age 13-14. I don't know what it is in Britain.

~Czardas, Supreme Ruler of the Universe

It's age 13-14. I don't know what it is in Britain.

~Czardas, Supreme Ruler of the Universe
Thanks

That's about two years into secondary school here.

You got money for being done with middle school? All I got was relief...

You got money for being done with middle school? All I got was relief...

Relief? I was already thinking: Great, now I get to go to high school, then college, and then work until I die! Yesss!

ALL graduations are over-hyped. Its basically their defining feature.

Back home in Texas, we had no such thing for Intermediate or Middle schools. The first time I encountered the idea was over here in Japan. It makes sense here, as it is a holdover from the time when Jr. High was as far as most people went in their education. But it tends to be a formal ceremony - AFAIK, no money or gifts.

As for the OP, If you're getting $200 in gifts and cash for moving up to 9th grade, yeah, I'd say it's overhyped.