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Graduation Cords

  • 1.  Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-22-2024 09:53

    Hello All! 

    I'm trying to convince my administration to let my seniors wear their Thespian cords at graduation. This was something they allowed until last year. If your school allows this - will you please respond with your school name, city and state? I want to provide them with a list of schools to show that this is something that is allowed elsewhere. If you have any other advice on how to get this approved, please let me know. 

    Thanks,

    Stephanie Clussman



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    Stephanie Clussman
    Laville Jr. Sr. High School
    IN
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  • 2.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-22-2024 09:56
    My school only allows for clubs.  And since I am struggling to get the troupe going because I have way too much on my plate I can not do cords although I would love too.  



    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-23-2024 07:55

    We do the medals instead (our Principal only allows cords for NHS and Key Club).



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    Robert Roy
    Act2 Theatre Company
    Pinckney Community High School
    MI
    rroy@pinckneypirates.org
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-23-2024 05:37
    Hi
      The wearing of the cords has never been a question at my school.  Rutland, VT. public high school.... and we are the only Vermont school with an active troupe!
    Cathy
    Compare it to the National Honor Society and Tri-M
    I hope you can convince the powers that be that this is important to the students!!!! 



    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-23-2024 07:43

    Leonardtown, Maryland. Public school.

    Every troupe can decide for themselves what honor items to use for graduation and what their specific requirements are.  I think that's a wonderful flexibility to have and can help you tailor your grad honors to fit your school.  It can also sometimes make it harder to sell to admin if other schools do something different (or not at all), but the major benefit is that there are multiple options that you can explore which might be more palatable to your school leadership. We do thespian tassels for all inducted thespians, graduation cords for Honor Thespians (60pt), a stole for National Honor (120pt) and a medal for International (180pt).

    We got pushback on the tassels because one principal wanted them all to be the same, with school colors etc. but the next principal allowed students to decorate their caps and at that point it was silly to deny the tassels. The cords and stoles have never been a problem.

    Agree with Cathy, above, make the case for equity - if NHS is allowed to wear their honors, then so should ITS (which is an internationally recognized honor society, with chapters in most states etc.).  If they counter with the argument that NHS includes academic requirements, you could point to any academic requirements your troupe may have for induction, discuss the academic benefits to students who make a commitment to be involved in theatre arts programs, discuss the importance of recognizing and celebrating multiple intelligences etc. and/or look at the Thespian Scholar distinctions and possibly include them in your graduation honors.

    Don't give up! Try to find out what your admin values and then show them the aspects of ITS that speak to that and how it can showcase your school in a positive light for the community.



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    Guy Barbato
    Theatre Teacher/Director
    Leonardtown High School
    MD
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-23-2024 07:56
    Hi Stephanie, 

    Our school allows it and it is listed in the graduation program. It is an honor society for theatre students, just like the National Honor Society. 

    Mrs. Wendy Hughes
    School Library Media Specialist
    Director of Drama / Intro to Theatre Teacher
    Bogota Jr/Sr High School
    2 Henry C. Luthin Place
    Bogota, NJ 07603
    (201) 441-4808 ext. 2152



    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-23-2024 08:25

    Troupe 3929

    Stanton College Preparatory School

    Jacksonville, FL

    Despite our fancy-schmancy-sounding name, we are a public school, though we are a district-wide academic magnet school, typically having a 100% graduation rate and virtually 100% of graduates going on to college, so honor societies are a big deal at our school.  Students' honor society memberships (some belong to as many as a half-dozen) are noted next to their names in the printed graduation program, and they are allowed to wear honor cords at graduation.

    The first year we wanted to issue Thespian cords, we faced a little push-back from our administration, who saw us as a club rather than a true honor society.  I sat down with them and walked them through ITS membership requirements, and that was the end of that.  Kids have walked with honor cords ever since.

    Good luck to you; your students deserve this recognition.



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    Jeff Grove
    Theatre Teacher, Aesthetics Department Chair
    Stanton College Prep
    FL
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-23-2024 08:38

    Cords are a big deal at our school. NHS, Tri-M, Thespians, military, and blood donation (if they donate a certain number of times at our school blood drives). The principal will discuss the cords at graduation and have students wearing them stand when their cord is mentioned. We are a small school so maybe that has something to do with allowing it? We have about 100 students per graduating class. I am in Auburn High School, Auburn, IL (just south of Springfield, IL.) No tips for getting approval as it has been allowed at our school since before I started here.



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    Amy Williams
    District Librarian/Theater Teacher
    Thespian Troupe #8881
    Auburn High School
    Auburn, IL
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-26-2024 08:47

    Rural NW Pennsylvania here, and we do the same in terms of the military and all of the long-term, honor type of things including our FFA (although the blood donation is a new one to me... I will bring that up to our NHS advisor because I think that is really neat!).  It's printed in our program explaining what each of them signify. 

    Mary Morris
    Thespian Troupe #4288
    Conneaut Area Senior High

    Linesville, PA



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    Mary Morris
    Conneaut Area Senior High
    PA
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-23-2024 12:34

    Asheville High School, Asheville, North Carolina, permits graduation cords for National Honor Society members (gold), International Thespian Society members (blue), Band students through all 4 years (pink), Career Technical Education Honor Society (red and white), and a red cord for students who have given blood at least 4 times during school blood drives.  Graduating AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) students wear stoles.  

    For many years, NHS was the only group that wore cords, but then we had a principal who believed that many talents and skills should be honored upon graduation.  Each group has a different color cord, and some students wear several cords.  It provides a beautiful visual picture of the varied accomplishments of the student body.     



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    CJ Breland
    Retired Theatre Arts Educator
    NC
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-23-2024 14:47

    Yes for us. All honor societies get to have cords-just have to make sure our guidance department gets all the criteria on file. We have a small troupe and only a few to get to wear a cord. I have my added criteria beyond just earning points (active involvement for at least two years). 

    Enterprise High School
    Enterprise, AL

    Troupe 1039



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    Veronica Stephenson
    Teacher/Director
    Enterprise High School
    AL
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    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-24-2024 12:45

    Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates CA

    For many years anyone who wanted to do cords did them. About ten years ago admin cracked down because it was getting ridiculous allowing only Honors Societies and 2-3 other programs to continue using cords.

    We have always done cords for Honors (60+ points), Medals for National Honors (120+) and stoles for International Honors (180+) status. I did have to meet with admin about continuing the use of medals and stoles, but was permitted to continue. I believe we are one of only three groups on campus (NHS & CSF) still allowed to give the stoles at graduation.

    Like many schools, athletics are king and our district and community are very SMERT and Leadership focused. All that is to say that the arts are NOT a focal point of our campus community but I have had the fortune of principals who respect the work we do. That is less to do with me being loud and banging drums, more to do with my willingness to meet and have conversations. 



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    Seth Cohen
    Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
    CA
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    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-25-2024 15:54

     I work at a private school in Massachusetts.  Our students wear their ITS cords at graduation ... we present the cords to them at the Red Carpet Arts Awards the week before.  At graduation, students wear white dresses or navy blazers & white pants (no grad gowns).  In addition to ITS cords, students wear cords for the dance and visual arts honor society, honor roll, and cum laude honors.

    I hope you get to wear them at your ceremony too.



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    [Becky Beth [Benedict]
    [Theater Teacher, Director & Arts Dept Chair]
    [The MacDuffie School
    [Granby] [MA]
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    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-26-2024 08:10

    Wachusett Regional High School, Holden, MA.

    All cords at graduation are for honor societies. We do not have a curricular theatre program--only extra-curricular. The ITS cords are the only cords currently allowed for a non-curricular honor society (e.g. Spanish Honor Society, Math Honor Society, etc.). I presented my case for cords to my principal at the same time we chartered our chapter several years ago. 



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    Alana Stern
    Library Media Specialist / Drama Advisor
    Wachusett Regional High School
    Holden, MA
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    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-27-2024 06:49
    Kempsville HS
    Virginia Beach, VA

    We had a similar situation several years ago. Once I explained to our administration that Thespians were an Honor Society, which had to be earned by students, they allowed us not only honor cords but the white honor collars for those who had accrued more than 50 points.


    David B. Springstead, Sr.

    Security Assistant Lead

    VBEA Building Representative

    Drama/Thespian Advisor

    Kempsville High School

    5194 Chief Trail

    Virginia Beach, VA 23464

    757-648-5450




    Original Message


  • 16.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 02-26-2024 08:53

    Thank you for all these responses! Keep them coming! 

    I'm in Indiana so if any of my Indiana Troupe Directors want to chime in - that would be especially helpful! 



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    Stephanie Clussman
    Laville Jr. Sr. High School
    IN
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    Original Message


  • 17.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 03-26-2024 09:53

    New Albany High School, New Albany Indiana. We also now have a varsity letter for theatre and performing arts.



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    Crit Fisher
    Lighting/Sound Designer
    New Albany High School
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    Original Message


  • 18.  RE: Graduation Cords

    Posted 21 days ago

    I just wanted to say thank you to all who responded. Our school decided to allow thespian cords this year! 

    So excited for my students and for them to be able to be recognized for all their hard work! 

    Thanks,

    Stephanie



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    Stephanie Clussman
    Laville Jr. Sr. High School
    IN
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    Original Message


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