Taylor Van Dijk | Opinion Editor
February 19, 2024
With every passing year, a new class of students graduates from San Clemente High School and embarks on a new path of life. And, every year, the students from lower grades look towards the graduating class and look forward to the year that it will be their turn to wear a cap and gown.
SCHS has many traditions to look forward to on the big day, one of the most notable being different color robes. For most classes, if you earn over a weighted 4.0 GPA, you will graduate wearing a white robe and a white cap. If you finish with under a 4.0 weighted, you will wear a black robe. And, if you graduate with an International Baccalaureate diploma, regardless of GPA, you will wear a special red robe. At the ceremony, students are arranged alphabetically with red robes in the front (typically less than five percent of the class), white robes in the middle (typically around ⅔ of the class), and black robes in the back (typically around ⅓ of the class).
This robe system has stayed the same for decades and can be seen in every graduation photo despite the many concerns over the unbalanced recognition it creates between students. Many seek to completely do away with white robes in favor of uniform black robes. However, since separating students based on robe color is so deeply ingrained in the fabric of high school graduation ceremonies, many people seek to continue this practice for the sake of tradition and longevity. Most do not question that it creates division, but there are debates over whether this warrants replacing the system entirely.
This discussion has come to a head with a new policy proposal that might end colored robes beginning with the graduating class of 2025. In theory, this might be the last year that will have white, black, and red robes.
This proposition was soft-launched in a 2021 discussion of what regalia will replace the white robe. The district plans to get rid of the white robs due to the “segregation” that it creates between students, but they sought student advice to determine what the alternative recognition would be. With many options presented, students almost unanimously decided on a white V-shaped stole to indicate who graduated with a 4.0 GPA or higher in place of the white robe.
As of now, this is the plan for schools around Capistrano Unified School District, so the class of 2025 and on should prepare themselves for the possibility that these measures might take effect.
Junior Grace Pratt recounts her thoughts on the subject saying, “I think that people are just a little shocked because we are the first ones that this could affect, especially because white robes have been a tradition for so long. However, there are a lot of reasons why implementing a change makes sense practically.” This sentiment is shared amongst many high-performing high school students.
“I have siblings and friends that have all graduated from San Clemente in different colored robes,” junior Michelle Monier said. “It is disappointing that they might get rid of this system, but I think that when the time comes, I will be more focused on graduating and celebrating that accomplishment rather than worrying about what color my robe is going to be.”
At the end of the day, this debate has arisen because people should be able to celebrate what they did in high school rather than being reminded of what they could have done better. Graduation is supposed to celebrate moving forward to a new step in life and leaving petty comparisons in the past, which is exactly what a new robe policy would allow for.
When my granddaughter was in 7th grade and attended her cousin’s San Clemente High School graduation, she told all of the family that she would be graduating with a white robe in six years! She is now a graduating senior and was just told that she will in fact graduate with a white robe. She decided early to enroll in AVID to keep herself on course to achieve high grades and be accepted to a public university. She spent many hours studying to achieve her goals. She also worked and volunteered in the community. For all of her efforts, she has just been accepted to SDSU. Why shouldn’t she and others like her be able to wear their white robe to show their many years of commitment to their grades and goals? In my 77 years on this earth, I have not heard, until now, that it is discriminatory to reward hard work!