Wednesday, May 28, 2014

What's up with all that graduation stuff?

Today's topic is what's on every senior's mind, GRADUATION!

Did you know?

Those “funny hats” that grads wear are called mortarboards because they resemble a tool used by bricklayers to hold mortar.

The cap and gown combination can be traced back to the academic and clerical dress commonly worn at the medieval universities of Europe. The early universities didn’t have buildings, so students would usually meet at churches. Since the churches were unheated, historians believe the students wore the long gowns and caps for warmth.

The tassel that hangs from the mortarboard rests on one side until the graduate has received his/her diploma. After the graduating class is announced, the students then switch the tassel to the other side and then many students toss their caps into the air.

The hat-tossing got started in Annapolis, Maryland in 1912. That year, students at the U.S. Naval Academy became officers for the first time (instead of having to serve two more years as midshipmen) and flung their hats into the air spontaneously.

The song Pomp and Circumstance also known as “Land of Hope and Glory” was written in Sir Edward Elgar in 1901. The title of “Pomp and Circumstance” comes from a line in Shakespeare’s Othello, “Pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war!” In 1902, lyrics were written by poet and essayist Arthur Christopher Benson to celebrate the crowning of King Edward the VII.

All this information is courtesy of our chemistry teacher Stacey Stancik

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Conroe, Tx
Lead Counselor at Conroe High School