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SUMMER Graduation Day [June]

HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL DAYS IN THE USA MARY GLASGOW MAGAZINES, ANIMPRINTOF SCHOLASTIC INC.72

What Happens?

What do students do at graduation? Here are some customs.

Combine the correct phrases in column A and column B to make sentences about graduation. Join the

dots and you will find the name of an American university..

A BThey make 1 15 in a procession

They take 2 14 bubbles

They blow 3 21 their caps into the air

They sing 4 13 songs

They walk 5 16 speeches

They throw 10 17 good-bye to their fellow students

They say 7 18 flowers

They invite 9 9 diplomas

They receive 19 20 their families

They carry 6 12 photos

201715

2110

9 19

18

13

16

12

14

75

4

62

1

3

The university is called .

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SUMMER Graduation Day [June]

HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL DAYS IN THE USA MARY GLASGOW MAGAZINES, AN IMPRINT OF SCHOLASTIC INC. 73

Which College?All the students are celebrating their graduation from high school.

They are throwing their graduation caps into the air.

What are their best school subjects? Work out the anagrams in the caps and write them in the grid to

find the name of a famous US university.

The university is called .

````````````

`````````````````````

```````````````````````

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Joshua

Jodie

Rosa

Ryan

James

Nancy

Mel

Charlene

Ethan

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SUMMER Graduation Day [June]

HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL DAYS IN THE USA MARY GLASGOW MAGAZINES, ANIMPRINTOF SCHOLASTIC INC.74

Valedictory SpeechesOn Graduation Day from school or college the principal makes a speech; a guest

(e.g. a famous parent) makes a speech and one of the students who is leaving makes a speech.

It means a goodbye speech. That student is usually the student who has achieved the highest

grades. It is an honor to be chosen. That person is called the valedictorian.Here are some extracts from real speeches by American high school students over the past few years.

Complete each section with the missing sentences at the bottom of the page.

2. My fellow classmates!Valedictory speeches dont have to be boring, so I want to talk about

donuts. Choosing a donut is the same as making any of lifes

decisions. Eating and testing the donut is not so important.

3. My fellow classmates!

It doesnt seem long ago that I was a five-year-old

playing games. When I was little, I couldnt wait to

grow up. Now we are here and we are entering a

serious game and there are goals everywhere.

4. Class of 93!

When we entered John Stark

Regional High we all wanted to be

cool, to be part of the crowd

5. Class of 95!

We have learned how to make a difference, how to

be a true friend to someone. Live a little, learn a lot

and be the best person you can be because

6. My fellow classmates!

Dont stop here and end

your life at eighteen. Dont

make these days your glory

days because

7. Class of 96!

This is the last time that we will ever be seated as one,

ready to be strong and resolute in our quest. While high

school has been a time to make friends and to make

mistakes, we can never go back. After today

e. I know that we can

achieve anything.c. The importance is not what comes out of the

test, but what was learned from the experience.

g. ... memories will

be the only thing

that we have to

hold on to.

b. you must follow your

heart and your dreams to

make a career path. However

big or however small your plans

are, make them your plans and

do what you want to do.

d. that doesnt mean

that the climb and the

descent are less

important. They add up to

the stories of our lives.a. now we are standing on

our own two feet, even if we

arent quite sure how we

reached this point. We nolonger care about being cool.

We have grown into ourselves.

f. Right here, right

now, this is it. Weare grown up.

1. My fellow classmates!

When we look back over the past few years we focus on peak experiences: vacations,

final exams, sports championships. We forget about those long stretches before

and after home, school, growing up but those slow parts are where we spend

most of our time. Its fine to remember the view from the summit