The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Add personal touches to celebrate graduate’s past, present

How to stay safe outdoors this Memorial weekend
5/23/12
Students make most of school’s Lenten service project
5/23/12
How to make a customized dry-erase board
5/23/12
Woman helps tornado victims with lost photos
5/23/12
A father, 11 mothers and 30 children? Oy vey!
5/22/12
> More lifestyle headlines

By DeAnn Owens, Contributing Writer 12:18 AM Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Graduation day is the culmination of more than just homework assignments, tests and finished projects.

It is a moment in time to reflect upon a graduate’s first day of school, his or her last day of school and all the days in between.

Amid the joy and tears is the question, usually asked by parents, “Where did the time go?”

Graduation day is a time to stop and reflect on where all that time went and to celebrate all the graduate has accomplished.

Showcasing the diploma the graduate has just earned and inviting guests to sign the yearbook is a great way to start the party.

But, starting at the beginning is a sweet way to honor the graduate.

Baby pictures and class, team and club photos displayed on tables or in photo albums that party guests can flip through is an easy way to honor the graduate’s past. Another idea for tech-savvy parents is to create a slideshow.

“It’s so easy to make and display slideshows now. Many people have the means to hook their computer up to a big TV, and it’s easy to drop a bunch of ‘accomplishment’ pictures into a folder to display those pictures on the TV,” said Heidi Jugovic of Colorado Springs, Colo.

A similar thing could be done with a digital photo frame or even a laptop set up near the buffet, Jugovic said.

Creative-Party-Themes.com recommends you invite your guests to help create a photo memory board by sharing photos that can be displayed on poster board during the party.

Christy Vitou of Indianapolis suggests taking pictures to the next level.

“Poster size photos (can be done at Kinko’s) representing each year of life from birth to graduation can be put on yardsticks and placed in the yard from the road to the house alongside the driveway. I saw this done last year; it was wonderful,” Vitou said.

Scrapbooks can incorporate more than photos. Include certificates and awards — academic, artistic, athletic — to highlight a graduate’s successes and interests.

“My friend and I used scrapbooks that held all the years of the grad’s life,” said Sandy Leeth of Dayton.

GraduationParty.com suggests giving the scrapbook as a present to the graduates or involving them in its creation, letting them choose the photos and other memorabilia.

Displaying trophies and medals can also celebrate the graduate’s talents.

“Not everyone that comes to the party has had a chance to catch up with the graduate’s accomplishments,” said Linda Thomson of Dayton.

“We know as children get into junior and senior high, their lives become so busy that it is easy to lose track of what their involvements are.”

According to Jostens.com, “Some graduates have an abundance of awards and trophies they’ve received over the years.

Select a few that really represent the graduate. Arrange them in one big display or spread them throughout your home.”

Mari Escamilla, multimedia manager with Marketing Maven Public Relations Inc. in Los Angeles and recent graduate of California Lutheran University, showcased her interests at her grad party.

“Instead of doing the usual poster displays or scrapbooks, my mom had me play one of the movies that I produced (during the school year) on the TV. This showed family and friends a bit of what I did while in school and what I enjoy,” Escamilla said.

“Also, I’ve danced Folklorico (traditional Mexican dancing) since I was about 11 and now I teach local high schoolyouths so my mom requested I have my students perform during my party.”

For additional style, honor a graduate’s school pride by decorating with his school colors. Balloons, streamers, tablecloths, and even the plates and cups can reflect school spirit.

Looking to the future is another way to celebrate a graduate. If the graduate will be attending college or graduate school, decorate in the colors of his new school or hang a banner with the name of the institution. If the graduate is moving onto a position in the workforce, make it a theme party reflecting his new occupation.

Share this article