Graduation Planning Checklist
Organization and Time Management Help the Celebration Go Smoothly
May 17, 2009
The senior year will go by so quickly. In order to have a great graduation celebration, start planning early. Parents need to be in control of the planning and the check book. The budget can be big or small; however, there are items that all students will need.
Cap and Gown
In the fall year of the student's senior year, the school will select a vendor to sell graduation items. Students will need to order the correct color of cap and gown. The only decision students will need to make is what size to order. They can purchase an extra souvenir tassel, but it is not necessary.
Graduation Apparel and Jewelry
There is also graduation apparel that is available but not mandatory to purchase. There are sweatshirts and T-shirts with the graduation year. In addition, there is jewelry. Most students have already had an opportunity to purchase a class ring, but there are also class keys and chains and key chains.
Invitations
Not only are the invitations somewhat expensive, they also take a great deal of time to prepare and send in the mail. To order the right amount, the parents and student should sit down and make a list. Always order a few extra, because mistakes can be made, and people can be left off the list accidentally.
With the explosion of desktop publishing and scrap booking, many parents are making their own invitations. Remember that this takes quite a bit of time. At the end of the senior year when the invitations need to be mailed, there are college orientations, senior ceremonies for sports, academics presentations and club celebrations for seniors. Parents may be shocked at how busy they become at the end of the school year trying to attend all of the events.
The invitations should be mailed two-to-three weeks before graduation. It takes a full day or two to fill out the invitations. Some parents include a wallet size senior picture in all the invitations. If a party RSVP card is included, then there will be additional time needed to fill out addresses and stamps on those cards. Make sure to set aside enough time for this time consuming task.
Graduation Party
The party can be informal or formal. Depending on the budget, a caterer can make the event less stressful. They key is to have plenty of food and drinks and have the graduate present. Some students have their parties the weekend before graduation, while others have it right after the ceremony. And, others will have it up to a month after the event. It is totally up to the graduate and the family.
Graduation should be a memorable, happy event. In order for this to happen, get organized early. To keep stress to a minimum, ask for help from family and focus on the graduate.
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