Graduation
Eighth graders are given a graduation ceremony. It used to be held outside Manalapan High School, but is now held at Brookdale Community College. At the time it was at Manalapan High School, the ceremony was moved inside in case there was inclement weather. Now that it's at Brookdale, all graduationas are held in Collins Arena, rain or shine. Eighth graders practice for this ceremony for about a week in one of the school gyms. They practice walking in, sitting down, standing, and receiving their diplomas. All students are given a red robe; the measurements for this robe are taken in the beginning to the middle of the school year. One cannot graduate if they have library books they owe, debt in their lunch account, or, obviously, if their grades are not acceptable. The ceremony is typically two to three hours long.
The school holds an essay contest to see who gets to read a speech during graduation. There are two winners per community. The class president also reads a speech, alongside important figures such as the school principal. Each household receives three tickets to the graduation ceremony. Additional tickets cannot be bought due to space issues. Typically, the students walk in to graduation music, sit down, listen to speeches, receive their diplomas, and then the ceremony ends. After the ceremony, students go to specially marked flags with their community and meet up with their parents there. After that, they may take pictures and/or leave. Graduation is the last day of school, and students do not attend school; they head straight to Brookdale.
Read more about this topic: Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School