For many of us, the years we spend in high school contain the biggest highs and lows of our adolescent lives. It truly is a transformative time, as awkward (at least in my case) middle school kids emerge out of their shells and grow into an early form of their adult selves.
Part of this experience is finding one’s true passions, which can be achieved through joining clubs, excelling in classes, and branching out to interact with new people. Some teenagers will go above and beyond and even gain valuable distinctions like Valedictorian and Salutatorian, as well as lead clubs and activities. For these exemplary students, I believe there is no better way to honor their hard work than to allow them to wear cords at graduation.
Why cords? A line of colored rope may not seem like a major change to graduation attire, but to many, it feels like a sentimental piece to honor their achievements over the past four years. Managing rigorous coursework, balancing sports, extracurriculars, social lives, and a sleep schedule (almost no one is getting a full eight hours) is demanding, especially for a teenager. Choosing to take on this much work is a decision that students make for various reasons, and they should be rewarded for going above and beyond.
Schools may argue that not allowing cords to be worn at graduation is simply an issue of uniformity: students should all appear unified as one school. Yet America, as a country, has always prized individuality — and so has the public school system. We’re allowed to express ourselves in school (to a certain extent) through clothing, being able to choose our classes, creating clubs, and putting on musicals and shows. When our student body has a concern, we raise it. We actively make differences in the community around us, and I believe Nanuet has fostered that environment.
Students here are encouraged to explore a wide variety of passions, distinguishing themselves as individuals with diverse interests and strengths. I believe that diversity should be celebrated on that bittersweet day in June, when 12 years of shared community come to an end. Just imagine looking out into a crowd of proud and smiling faces, dozens of colors adorning black and gold as caps are tossed into the air. The black and gold represent where we all began, while the sea of colors reflects the many different paths we will take.