A friend of mine emigrated to Canada a number of years back.
His daughter's graduation photos were on FB the other day.

She's 9.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:21, 1 reply, 16 years ago)

*shakes head sadly*

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:28, Reply)

What's the world coming to?
In my day I had to hide in a wheelie bin outside a school for that sort of material, now it's all over the internet...
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:32, Reply)

I don't know what's worse
The thought of you in the wheelie bin, or the fact that 9 year olds' graduation photos are on the net.

Or indeed the fact that 9 year olds are graduating at all.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:38, Reply)

It's pretty dire, whichever way you choose to look at it.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:42, Reply)

I'm going to go with the fact that 9 year olds are 'graduating' at all
Graduating? All they've done is finished their fucking primary education! I would hardly consider this an achievement. All this will do is give the precocious little shits an entirely undue sense of accomplishment.
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:44, Reply)

Especially
since I was 12 until I finished my primary education, then went to high school (without any sort of ceremony), then left aged 18 (without any sort of ceremony) to go to university, where I spent 8 years gaining 3 degrees (during which time I had earned the right to 3 ceremonies).

And that's as it should be. Although I'm not big on ceremonies and couldn't really be bothered with university graduations either.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:51, Reply)

The last ceremony I recall
was matriculation at university. And that was merely to congratulate us on not being utter mongs and managing to get in
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:54, Reply)

Matriculation for me
involved standing in a queue for hours, having my photo taken and leaving with a little plastic card. With no ceremony.

My life has been relatively devoid of ceremony.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 13:57, Reply)

haha
we put on sub fusc (uni gowns over black/white clothing), sat in a massive building and had Latin read at us. Then got pissed on champage at eleven in the morning and ate bagels
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 14:00, Reply)