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Graduation is an exciting and memorable moment that all seniors look forward to during our time in high school. Pasco High students believe that graduation caps should be customized to symbolize them in their own way. We have students from different countries and cultural backgrounds that would like to represent or dedicate their success to who or what means the most to them. Those that would like to give thanks to their country, family, or parents would like to make them a part of their special day. Students would like to make it something special and unique that they can look back at and be proud. Pasco High students let us know why they think cap decorating is important to them.  

PHS Senior Marisol Salazar: “I believe we should be able to decorate our graduation caps because our senior year has been bad as it is and it is our last year here, we should be able to express ourselves in some type of way for our last time being here.” 

PHS Senior Emily Lopez: “I think we should be able to decorate our cap because it is our graduation and if people want to, they should be able to. It would be on that person so it wouldn’t affect others. At the end of the day, we are the ones graduating.  

PHS Sophomore Tania Cristino: “We should because we would want to represent how hard we worked and what we have achieved to finish high school all these years or represent what our parents did for us to be here.”  

PHS Senior Jade Torres added: “I think we should be able to decorate our graduation caps because that will put some of our little personality inside of that hat, like we get to pick something, a few words to put on our hat for everybody to see what we decorated on there and what we have a picture of. We’ll put like a little message onto it. We should be able to decorate them since we are going to keep them, it’s better than having a plain cap and gown, it’s better to express ourselves and make something memorable.”  

Although many agree that cap decorating is a great idea there are some reasons that oppose to that. There have been times in the past at other schools where students have used offensive or inappropriate language. This led to schools not allowing cap decorating be a thing anymore. However, that would not be a problem in our school, because if we had the option to decorate our caps in our school, we can make sure that ideas are reviewed to be sure they are positive and school appropriate messages. There could be a deadline for seniors to sketch out their senior cap ideas before their cap is decorated, this will avoid ruining their cap and needing to purchase another if their idea is not approved by the school to be worn to the graduation. 

Senior classes should be allowed to decorate their caps to express themselves and represent who they are and where they come from. We have all come a long way and worked hard to get to where we are now so future graduates should be able to make their graduation something special and different. This is our goodbye so we should make it less boring and more memorable and special! In the end, seniors should know they have the responsibility to make appropriate choices and be presentable to this special ceremony.