Be honest: should we get rid of graduation ceremonies in NJ?

I read with great interest my colleague Dennis Malloy‘s article earlier this week about graduation ceremonies in New Jersey. Like him, I find them to be a terrible waste of time.

Reading it got me wondering whether or not commencements were actually still relevant, but I’m curious to know if that is the overwhelming opinion in the Garden State.

Hear me out: I’ve never been to a graduation ceremony that I thought went well. There always seems to be unbearably hot or there's some sort of SNAFU. For instance, I went to one where the speaker repeatedly said the wrong year of the graduating class. She kept saying “Class of 2002” when it was the Class of 2012.

Why didn’t anyone correct her?

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At my sister's graduation ceremony, the announcer botched her housemate's last name upwards of five times before just moving on.

Granted, the last name “Dipietrantonio” isn’t a walk in the park, but wouldn’t you think they’d go through all of the names before the ceremony began? I’m still cringing.

And of course, there’s the unavoidable element of weather conditions. Seemingly there are only two ways weather can go on days of graduation ceremonies: sunny, humid, and 90 degrees, with attendees' thighs crisping from the heat of the bleachers or biblical levels of rain.

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All that to say, I’ve never walked away from a graduation ceremony thinking “That was a good time, I am glad I went.” So why are we doing this to ourselves? Do you agree or are Dennis and I alone in this feeling? Please let me know in our poll below:

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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