Graduating from high school is one of those achievements every person is able to accomplish once in a life time.
Every aspect of graduation must be perfect for most people, like a wedding night might be for a bride-to-be. Graduation represents a major stepping stone for an 18-year journey that has finally come to an end. But what if one piece of that event doesn’t go the way it usually has been going for as long as students can remember?
A controversial debate among the students of Tahoma High School has been circulating. The school board might make the decision to stop the wearing of cords for clubs in school. National Honors Society, for example, was one of the only clubs among the high school to be allowed special cords for graduation. This decision may be based off of budget restrictions for the school, but what most students are up in arms about is the other possibility — not allowing honor students to wear cords because of unfairness towards other students. Students who do not have above a 3.5 GPA or non-members of NHS would not be able to wear any academic cords.
Members of NHS, would most likely be unhappiest about this dilemma. Being a member of NHS myself, I can understand why. Working for those grades takes years of work. Members argue that only students with above a 3.5 GPA and who are actively involved in NHS may receive special cords for graduation, and other students have that possibility if they are willing to work for the grade point average. NHS members put in the extra effort for the club and their grades, and it would seem necessary for them to receive their cords because of that extra input. Other students might be unhappy about the inability to wear cords, but ultimately haven’t been able to accomplish that difficult achievement. Why should other students take away cords from those who have worked the hardest?
However, for the most part, the issue isn’t whether there should be cords or not, the issue is who should be able to wear cords. Various sports and athletic groups are considering allowing graduation cords for athletes who letter in that sport, but some believe that graduation cords are a symbol of academic achievement, and not athletic achievement.
If everyone is able to wear their own cords for any group they are a part of, is there even any purpose of cords anymore? Graduation cords were, after all, created for specifically recognizing outstanding academic achievements.
Administrators in the neighboring Kent School District allow students to wear cords if they have earned certain GPAs. Kentwood High School allows students to wear silver cords if they have a GPA of 3.33 to 3.66 and white cords for students with a 3.67 or higher as well as NHS members, according to Principal Doug Hostetter. Kentlake seniors with a GPA of 3.5 and above can wear cords in addition to members of NHS.
Tahoma High School seems to be the only school that is currently in discussion on the issue of allowing cords. The question still remains: should graduation cords be rewarded to those with relations to academic achievements, or should anyone from any club be allowed to wear as many cords as they want?
Allison Needles is a senior at Tahoma High.
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