For so long, students from Northview High School (or Fulton county in general) have not been granted permission to decorate their graduation caps that they or their guardians pay for. The administration says it is to “keep things professional.” However, Graduation day is a special and important moment in a persons life and sometimes a high school graduation is the only graduation they will ever get. After high school some students will pursue a college education and maybe then they will be allowed to decorate their caps, but some students will not be furthering their education, with some going to start a career, or joining armed forces. With that being said, some students might not get the chance to decorate their caps and express themselves in what for some can be their only graduation. 

   If students continue to be limited of their creativity on their own special day, they might be encouraged to do other things that are not “professional” while they walk across that stage. Students being able to decorate their caps can serve as a compromise to maintain decorum during the graduation ceremony while still being able to express themselves even in the slightest way. Many high schools and colleges across the country partake in this simple action, so why can’t we also participate?

     Now is the time to act on this topic because if we continue this pattern of not allowing students to express themselves properly on their special day, more graduates will be robbed of the opportunity of making graduation about  them. Students have forever put in the work, effort, and tears, to make sure they walk across that stage. This moment is for the students, not the schools image. If students want to express themselves by decorating their caps on the day they have been working so hard for they should be able to.