Seniors, don’t you love getting to decorate your cap for graduation? Oh wait, that doesn’t happen. The district doesn’t let seniors who pay for their own cap and gown to decorate their cap for the graduation ceremony. Especially because of COVID-19, this rule should change immediately for the Class of 2021 and future graduating classes. 

Once again, we all know that COVID took a lot away from the seniors.Therefore, the district should let seniors have one final opportunity to remember their high school experience. Most of the seniors won’t even get a prom, and all of the seniors didn’t even get their last homecoming dance. How sad is that? 

Also, this opportunity is letting the seniors express themselves in their own way, and put anything on their cap as long as it’s appropriate for school grounds. Seniors also paid for their cap and gown, that alone is why seniors should be allowed to do what they please with their cap. Lastly, the students are starting a new chapter of their life. Many of these students won’t have much to look back on when it comes to school, so why not let the students create something memorable that they can keep for a lifetime? 

It’s understandable as to why the district would want to keep control and not let seniors decorate their cap. They don’t want students to show up with inappropriate designs on their cap. Admin also expects the students to show up looking presentable, so that includes a nice clean cap. But, are they really taking into consideration how the students feel? Isn’t graduation about the students and their next chapter of life? Exactly. So why seniors can’t decorate their own cap is far beyond ridiculous. Nearby high schools, such as Ritenour and Lindbergh, allow students to decorate their caps and be themselves, why can’t Howell? Almost all colleges around the United States allow this as well.

If the school is so concerned about what students put on their cap, the school can make guidelines that students have to follow, such as getting their design turned in by a certain date and approved by a principal or an adult in charge of the cap and gowns and then go from there. If the student doesn’t follow those guidelines and shows up to the ceremony with an inappropriate design, there should be a punishment set in place, and a new cap purchased at the ceremony. Or, the students will not be allowed to walk. The students and parents can sign papers accepting the rules and consequences. The district needs to change this rule immediately and give the seniors something good to look forward to.