Senior Hub

General Graduation Information

Class of 2025 Graduation Dates & Times

Approved Stoles & Cords

Honors Clubs:

Beta Club
National Honor Society
National Technical Honor Society
NC Governor’s School Participant

Academic:

Magna Cum Laude
Summa Cum Laude
Cum Laude
Valedictorian
Salutatorian
District Academic Scholars Medal
NC Academic Scholars
CTE Completer
CNA Cord

Service, Civic, and School- Sponsored Clubs:

Keyette Club
Key Club
Rotary Club
Kiwanis Club
Lions Club
Honors Band
JROTC
FFA
FBLA
National History Club
HOSA
FCCLA
Peer Group Connections
Student Government Association

*Cords for individual courses or programs outside of the above listed items are not permitted. Stoles and cords are reviewed on an annual basis by the district’s graduation planning committee, which consists of representatives from all high schools and district administration.

Dress Code

Caps, gowns, silver stoles and tassels (Beta Club members may elect to wear the Gold Beta stole/cord as decided by the Beta Sponsors) are required for all seniors who plan to participate in their commencement ceremony.
Anytime a senior is wearing their cap and gown, they must be properly dressed. The cap/gown may not be decorated in any way.
The details outlined below, apply to all graduates.

Clothing

Solid white button-up dress shirt or blouse with solid white collar (no knit shirts/no trim). If you choose to wear a neck-tie or bow-tie it must be solid black (no stripes, not patterns, no string ties).
Solid black dress pants, skirt or dress (no stripes/patterns, no jeans, no capri pants, no shorts, no ankle pattern, no joggers, etc.) Dresses and skirts must adhere to the Bladen County Schools’ Dress code policy (no shorter than 4 inches about the knee).
Solid black dress shoes (no tennis shoes, flip-flops, boots, etc.) Remember, that heels may catch on steps going up or down from the stage. Solid black socks.

Jewelry

No large necklaces, no large earrings. Visible jewelry in piercings other than the lobe of the ear must be removed (no clear retainers and no gauges).
Watches may be worn, but all alarms/sounds must be turned off.

Hair

Hair should be neat and clean. Keep in mind that your cap must sit “flat” on your head and not be tilted in any direction. For further clarification, please see a member of the graduation committee.

Tattoos

All visible tattoos must be covered by clothing or other methods.

Etiquette

Refrain from talking
Talking distracts from the ceremony.
Turn off cell phones, pagers, and watch alarms.
Alarms can district others from the graduates’ accomplishments.
Do not take flash photography.
This can be temporarily blinding and cause a student to walk off the stage without the aid of the stairs.
Do not walk down the aisle or stand down in front of video-taping.
Video cameras work well from the back of the area, and when placed there will not interfere with others trying to see their graduate walk across the stage.
Do not leave the service as soon as your child receives their diploma.
All of the graduates deserve a full audience for their accomplishments.
Applaud and celebrate at appropriate times.
Please hold all applause and verbal celebrations until the “Recognition of Graduates,” which is after the “Turning of the Tassels”. Cheering and applause before, during, or after an individual student’s name is called interferes with the next student’s recognition. Any individual interfering with the dignity of commencement may be escorted off school campus, and the student’s diploma may be held.
Expect a dignified, first-class graduation ceremony.
Tremendous planning has gone into this event. Savor the moment with respect for others and yourself.

North Carolina High School Diploma Endorsements

Career Endorsement

1. Except as limited by N.C.G.S. §115C-81(b), the student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Math I, II, III or Integrated Math I, II, III and a fourth mathematics course aligned with the student’s post-secondary plans. Acceptable fourth math courses for the Career Endorsement include any math course that may be used to meet NC high school graduation requirements, including applied math courses found in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) domain;

2. The student shall complete a CTE concentration in one of the approved CTE Career Pathways;

3. The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 2.6;

4. The student shall earn at least one industry-recognized credential. Earned credentials can include Career Readiness Certificates (CRC) at the Silver level or above from WorkKeys assessments or another appropriate industry credential/certification; and

5. The student shall earn at least the benchmark reading score established by a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test. The student may retake the nationally norm-references test as many times as necessary to achieve the required benchmark score.

College Endorsement indicating readiness for entry into NC Community Colleges

1. The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Math I, II, III or Integrated Math I, II, III; and a fourth mathematics course aligned with the students post-secondary plans. The fourth math course must meet University of North Carolina system Minimum Admission Requirements or be acceptable for earning placement in a credit-bearing college math class under the North Carolina Community College System’s Multiple Measures Placement policy;

2. The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 2.6; and

3. The student shall earn at least the benchmark reading score established by a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test. The student may retake the nationally norm-references test as many times as necessary to achieve the required benchmark score.

College/UNC Endorsement indicating readiness for entry into a four-year university in the University of North Carolina system

1. The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Math I, II, III or Integrated Math I, II, III and a fourth mathematics course that meets University of North Carolina system Minimum Admission Requirements that include a mathematics course with either Algebra II, Math III or Integrated Mathematics III as a pre-requisite;

2. The student shall complete three units of science including at least one physical science with a lab, one life science and one additional science course;

3. The student shall complete U.S. History or equivalent coursework;

4. The student shall complete two units of a world language (other than English);

5. Students shall earn a weighted grade point average of at least 2.5; and

6. The student shall earn at least the benchmark reading score established by a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test. The student may retake the nationally norm-references test as many times as necessary to achieve the required benchmark score.

NC Academic Scholars Endorsement

1. The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of Math I, II, III; Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II; or Integrated Math I, II, III and a fourth-level mathematics course that meets University of North Carolina system Minimum Course Requirements that include a mathematics course with either Math III, Algebra II, or Integrated Mathematics III as a pre-requisite;

2. The student shall complete three course credits of science including an Earth/Environmental science course, Biology, and at least one physical science course that must include either physics or chemistry;

3. For students entering ninth grade in 2012-13 or later, the student shall complete four course credits of social studies;

4. The student shall complete two course credits of a world language (other than English);

5. The student shall complete four elective course credits in any one subject area, such as Career and Technical Education (CTE), JROTC, Arts Education, World Languages, or in another content area;

6. The student shall have completed at least three higher-level courses during junior and/or senior years which carry quality points such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Dual Enrollment courses; Advanced CTE and CTE credentialing courses; honors level courses, or Project Lead the Way courses; and

7. The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 3.50.

Global Languages Endorsement

1. The student shall earn a combined unweighted 2.5 GPA or above for the four English Language Arts courses required for graduation;

2. The student shall establish proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English, using one of the options outlined below and in accordance with the guidelines developed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; and

*Establish “Intermediate Low” proficiency or higher per the ACTFL proficiency scale using the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery SBE policy.

*Complete a four-course sequence of study in the same world language, earning an overall unweighted GPA of 2.5 or above in those courses.

*Pass an external exam approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction establishing “Intermediate Low” proficiency or higher per the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale.

3. English Learner students shall complete all the requirements of sections 1 and 2 above and reach “Developing” proficiency per the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) proficiency scale in all four domains on the most recent state identified English language proficiency test.

Arts Proficiency Endorsement

1. The student shall complete a minimum of four NCSCOS arts courses.

The student shall earn an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher in each arts credit.

2. The student shall complete a minimum of 40 hours of arts-related extracurricular activities.

3. The student shall participate in an arts-related extracurricular activity approved by the local board of education.

4. The student shall complete all of the required hours outside of instructional hours.

5. The student shall not receive any course credit for participation in the activity.

6. In accordance with State Board guidance, the student shall document the hours on the form provided to local boards of education.

NOTE: The NC-SIS will not be computing the Arts Endorsement this year. LEAs and others may use local processes to award the Arts Endorsement. It will not appear on the transcript this year.

NC Citizenship Endorsement

Citizenship proficiency high school diploma endorsement: The SBE must develop the criteria for this endorsement to encourage students to demonstrate their understanding of the basics of the American government and civic life. The criteria must include at least a passing score on a civics test composed of questions from the pool of publicly available questions to be used for the civics test given by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as part of the naturalization interview and test issued by USCIS.