Could this year’s graduation ceremony be the last for eighth-graders in the Rochelle elementary school district?
While there are no imminent plans to eliminate any future ceremonies, District 231 Board of Education members and Superintendent Jason Harper discussed potential alternatives to the traditional end-of-the-year ceremony at the district’s monthly board meeting Tuesday evening.
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ROCHELLE — Could this year’s graduation ceremony be the last for eighth-graders in the Rochelle elementary school district?
While there are no imminent plans to eliminate any future ceremonies, District 231 Board of Education members and Superintendent Jason Harper discussed potential alternatives to the traditional end-of-the-year ceremony at the district’s monthly board meeting Tuesday evening. Harper said that other options include hosting a promotion assembly to allow both staff and students to reflect on their experiences at Rochelle Middle School.
“It isn’t necessarily about cancelling graduation,” Harper said. “It’s more about investigating other options for celebrating the eighth-grade class… A lot of that has to do with eighth grade no longer being considered a terminal spot in the student’s education. It’s become more of an assumption and a reality for our students to progress onto ninth grade and beyond.”