Grayslake schools may end 8th-grade graduation

Debate about whether to continue the eighth-grade graduation ceremony has surfaced at another Lake County school district.

Grayslake Elementary District 46 board members broached the subject Monday night. They agreed feedback should be solicited from district residents before making any decisions.

Officials stressed a graduation ceremony will occur for students graduating from eighth grade in 2009.

District 46 board member Karen Weinert favors doing away with the pomp and circumstance for children departing grade school. She said parents she's heard from view the ceremony as a long evening they could have done without.

"I think there is a huge support for eliminating the eighth-grade ceremony," Weinert said.

On the opposite side were District 46 board member Jill Rohrer and Weinert's 20-year-old daughter, Tina, who spoke during public comment time at Monday's meeting.

"I've never heard any complaints," Rohrer said. "I've only heard good things."

Tina Weinert said eighth-grade graduation still has meaning, particularly for first-generation Americans.

Grayslake Elementary joins some other suburban districts in questioning the eighth-grade graduation celebration.

Naperville-based Indian Prairie School District 204 scrapped the formal eighth-grade graduation in 2005.

And Lake Zurich Elementary District 95 officials last year brought up the idea of eliminating the eighth-grade event, in part because of potential cost savings. District 95 spokesman Jim Jennings said while the celebration continues, children are now reminded leaving eighth grade is "just one stop on their educational journey."

"I think if we were to discontinue them, it would require much more community dialogue," Jennings said Tuesday.

Grayslake District 46 Superintendent Ellen Correll said the grade school graduation ceremony isn't cheap to produce. District 46 held its June event at Grayslake North High School's gymnasium.

Just the cost of renting Grayslake North's gym for an evening was $2,000, she said. Financial contributions and donations of materials such as plants, green duct tape and decorative white outdoor lights were sought by Grayslake Middle School.

In addition, the middle school solicited seventh-grade parents to volunteer by helping to chaperon the graduates for the roughly three-hour event.

District 46 board member Susan Facklam said she supports eliminating the eighth-grade ceremony.

"It's not as meaningful as it once was," Facklam said.

District 46 board members said the parent feedback should be gathered in a variety of ways before any formal decisions is made on graduation.