Reeves - William - 1915 - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

That there will be no more graduation exercises and diplomas for pupils graduating from 8th grade in Montgomery was the decision reached by the county board of education at its July meeting Monday.  The trustees of the 11 townships, together with Supt. LN Hines of the Crawfordsville schools, gathered at the office of County Supt. Karl C. James chiefly for a discussion of this question Monday. Several reasons were advanced for this abolition of the custom of conducting graduation exercises for the 8th grade pupils and at the close of the talks a vote was taken in which it was unanimously determined to do away with the custom.  Chief among the reasons for the discontinuance of the practice was the fact that a rather elaborate graduation exercise for a pupil completing the 8 years of public school work is likely to leave with the pupil the idea that his education is completed. Members of the board argued that the presentation of a diploma to a boy or girl at the close of his 8th grade studies would lead him to believe the pursuance of study through the high school was a superfluous and unnecessary step and would act as an influence upon the child to drop his educational work at the end of the grades. The expense to pupils, their parents and the school corporations was another argument advanced in favor of the abolition of the graduation and diploma.  In the past, when the exercises have been held the pupils have had to be supplied with commencement togs. The girls have required white dresses and there have been many cases where the clothing question has proved a hardship to the pupils’ parents. Then there has been the question of expense in securing a place for the exercises and the diplomas have called forth additional cost. In all, the board decided that the benefits derived from the graduation exercises did not equal the costs – C’ville Journal - kbz