graduation traditions

[nurse em]

Hello All,

Well, my LPN class is getting ready to graduate in a month and a half. So of course we are getting our ducks ina row regarding the big event. However, we are sharing the spotlight with the rad tech students and massage theraoy students who are also graduating this summer from their programs. We were informed that the school is paying for everything, but we are ALL wearing black graduation robes and hats. And since the ceremony is at a local Naval Hospital Auditorium, we are not allowed to light our lamps. So, I was wondering if any of you have any traditions that my class could implement in our special day to make it ours. We thought about pinning white roses to our robes, and after the ceremony meeting back at the school campus to light our lamps. I would be deeply grateful to any suggestions to make our graduation special,( not that it isn't !!) and possibly start a new tradition for those who will also have to share their pinning ceremony in the future.

Thanks sooo much,

Em :mortarboard:

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

Hey...if you can get the lamp holes large enough their are electric candles! LOL!

The rose idea is great! And different flowers/herbs mean different things! I looked up a few:

Laurel: victory and glory, accptance and showing ones achievements through hard work and challenge (which I find very appropriate for schooling! LOL).

Pine: Protection, endurance, and daring

Roses: In general mean love, but different colors mean different things...Red meaning pure love, Golden is perfection, and White is worthiness.

That is just a few, you can do a search under 'meanings of flowers'...I came up with lots of info!

You can also consider wearing lamp pins or other pins :). They have a great assortment of pins at:

http://www.nursingpins.com/graduationpins.php

Also, if allowed...bring a single rosebud to the stage and hand it off to the person when they give you the diploma. Check that first! They may provide a stand with some decoration for you to place it on while you walk by.

Or...LOL, you can do what I did...LOL! Get a caducesis tattoo LOL!!!!!!!! (I didn't go to my graduation...I got married that day becasuse my hubby love waited long enough...).

[June55Baby]

When I graduated 29 years ago, we also shared graduation with EVERYBODY, so we had a pinning ceremony earlier in the day. We lit our Florence Nightingale lamps our Sophomore year when we had our capping ceremony (see I told you it was a long time ago).

[missninaRN]

I attended a graduation at a California university where the nurses graduated with all of the other disciplines, and everyone wore caps and gowns.

The nursing graduates wore stethoscopes around their necks to distinguish themselves from the others.