Korean-style graduation

Korean-style graduation

To the editor:
    Finally, all the studying is done. The final exams have been graded and the grades have been turned in. Today was graduation. As with most ceremonies they are interminably long for the participants and slightly exhausting for all the people who have gathered to watch and celebrate. 

    In Korea the high school graduation is not a cap and gown affair. If you were to compare it to a traditional American style graduation it would appear subdued. But for the students concerned it is a treasured moment. This event was no different. Our ceremony took place in the gym/auditorium. Sun Chang Jeil High School was built during the Japanese occupation and this graduation was the 64th in the school’s history.
    Unlike the formal ritual that Presque Isle High has developed over the years, this affair seemed far more chaotic. Third-year students, the final year of high school, were seated in the front. Behind them sat the second-year students. On the stage an ornate podium and the Korean flag suspended as a back drop behind the speakers. Teachers were seated to the left and school officials to the right. In the back were the parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, and various other family members.
    We began with a brief moment of silence for the graduates who have passed and the national anthem played. Then the salute to the flag. Unlike the Pledge of Allegiance exercise in the US, this is a very simple and silent affair. The Koreans stand facing the flag. Some of the military members will place their hands on their hearts but there is no spoken affirmation of allegiance. The Koreans are incredibly loyal to their country. At the end of the observance a deep bow is made to the flag. Then the second-year students and parents seat themselves and the third-year students turn and face them for another bow.
    This item finished, the students are led in the singing of a school song by one of their own and from here a rapid service is conducted as top students are recognized for their achievements. These students receive special certificates and gratuities. The other students will receive their diplomas in the mail. Awards handed out, the speeches are made. Most of them wishing the students well and encouraging them to be part of the alumni association. Finally, an end is declared. You will see second-year students and parents with large bouquets of blooming flowers in their hands.
    When the end of the service is marked there is a huge rush as students run up to their friends and give them the bouquet. Pictures are snapped by family and everyone heads out to the celebratory meal and party afterward. The graduates are glad to put their school uniform away, the second-year students anxious to begin their third year; the parents proud and happy about their children’s accomplishment and for us the teachers a moment to think back on the hard work that these students have taken on. It was a good ceremony.