Local High School charging a fee to give graduates their diploma

[MrsMo]

According to the article, this is happening in more than one school. The school administration is charging graduating seniors a fee ($25 USD was mentioned in the article) to walk up and receive their diploma.

This doesn't seem right to me. Kids pay - through the nose - to RENT those gowns, pay an exorbitant fee to buy the cap, the cost of year books is outrageous, and a class ring isn't even an option for many kids. And the school gets a cut from all these items. Now they want to charge kids a fee to participate in their graduation ceremony. What a bunch of horse pucky!

Here's a link to the whole story: http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/money/gilbert-high-school-charging-to-graduate-5-23-2011

[Kitz E Kat]

I know one college here does the same and it's a bit more than $25! More like $100 or so.
It's the future. Charge you at every turn for everything. It ain't right but I can only see it becoming more prevalent.

This Kat did cause a bit of trouble at his graduation a long time ago...
I did not have any intention of going, but family insisted I go. Before attending I did check with head lecturer on my course that I did not have to wear that silly
cap and gown! He said I did not. I know you will think I'm mad but I object to the whole cap and gown thing as being elitist and education is not elitist but
something that should be for all, and I could go on but that's a whole different story, so back to the night...
I turned up walked passed the main entrance when I was called back and told I had to queue up and get cap and gown. I explained I was not wearing one...
Murder!
Much murmuring, impromptu meetings, and a declaration that yeah I did not have to wear one. So I collected my dip in my civvies :-)
The following year an edict was issued that you had to wear a cap and gown!
If I pass my last two exams this summer I graduate again, no way in hell I'm goin!!

[Apathy]

I did the hood and gown, so did Mrs Apathy when she finished her open uni. We both did it at the request of family and neither of us really thought about not doing it. We both worked hard (Mrs A more so than me as she finished after little Miss A was born!) and we saw it as a celebration of finishing. The cost of hiring the hood and gown were just accepted. If there had been a charge purely for going then I'd definately not have gone.