students' decision to hold their own graduation ceremony was cheered by many local businesses, and received mixed views, mostly through later letters to the editor of the Columbus Dispatch and other newspapers in the area. Behaviour and decorum issues It is common for graduates not to receive their actual diploma at the ceremony but instead a certificate indicating that they participated in the ceremony or a portfolio to hold the diploma in. At the high school level, this allows academic administrators to withhold diplomas from students who are unruly during the ceremony, or whose friends and family disrupt the proceedings. Some schools have banned the sounding of bull horns by the relatives of graduating students. High schools often inform guests at the start of a graduation ceremony that cheering for individual students should be reserved until all the student's names have been read, and their certificates collected. At the college level, this allows students who need an additional quarter or semester to satisfy their academic requirements to nevertheless participate in the official ceremony with their cohort before receiving their degree. In addition, with large numbers of students receiving diplomas and often no specific order they walk in, it is impossible for their actual diplomas to be given to them at the ceremony, thus them receiving simply a blank diploma to be filled later. Graduation parties People often throw graduation parties to celebrate the event. These parties can be more general ones, or they can also be themed. Games can be present, as well as music. Flower leis can also be incorporated into celebrations for graduating students, particularly in Hawaii. Parties can also have a food truck rented out for them. References Ceremonies Graduation