akin to the official academic costume of UP, citing that the use of toga has “deep Western roots.” Baccalaureate Mass High school graduation ceremonies usually have a baccalaureate mass before the actual graduation ceremonies begin. This is especially true if the school is Catholic. Elementary school and college/post-graduate school graduations may or may not have baccalaureate masses. Universities and colleges usually celebrate the baccalaureate mass and baccalaureate ceremonies on a separate day, usually the day before the graduation ceremonies. This is especially true if the school is Catholic. On this day, the awards for extra-curricular and co-curricular activities are given out, leaving only the major academic awards to be given on the graduation day itself. Awards The giving of awards for extra-curricular, co-curricular, and academic activities varies from school to school. Schools may give out all the awards on graduation day itself or may do so on a separate day before the graduation ceremonies. Schools with a small student population usually opt to give out all awards on graduation day itself. However, bigger schools may give out lesser awards on the day before, which is called Recognition Day or Baccalaureate Day. These awards include those for extra-curricular and co-curricular activities like Athlete of the Year and Dancer of the Year, as well as “good conduct” awards such as "Most Behaved" and "Most Neat and Clean". The number and name of the awards may vary from school to school, depending on whom the teachers wish to honor. The major academic awards given out on graduation day for elementary and high school are the awards for valedictorian, salutatorian, and honorable mention. The schools usually give awards to their top five graduates as follows: valedictorian, salutatorian, and first, second and third honorable mentions. The other awards are usually the Leadership Award and the awards for those who topped the different subjects. The latter is usually referred to as the “Bests” since they start with the words “Best in...” such as, “Best in Math”. College and post-graduate schools usually award the following awards: summa cum laude (with highest honors), magna cum laude (with high honors), and cum laude (with honors). Unlike the awards are given in elementary and high schools which depend on class ranking, undergraduate and post-graduate awards are given based on grade point averages, so that there may be more than one graduate with the same award, or in many cases, none