A Look at Graduation in America

Graduates from Mid Valley High School in Throop, Pa., throw their caps during commencement. –Jake Danna Stevens/The Times-Tribune Via AP

Quentin Smith wears his cowboy hat with tassel at the graduation ceremonies at Paradise High School in Paradise, Calif. Most of the students of Paradise High lost their homes when the Camp Fire swept through the area and the school was forced to hold classes in Chico. The seniors gathered one more time at Paradise High for graduation ceremonies. –Rich Pedroncelli/AP

An excited graduate dances across the stage to receive his diploma at Prince George High School’s graduation ceremony, in Prince George, Va.–Leilia Magee/progress-index.com

Emilee Taylor, a senior at Paradise High School, decorates her graduation cap at her home in Chico, Calif., ahead of celebrating commencement with more than 200 of her fellow seniors. Paradise was mostly destroyed by  wildfire in 2018. –Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Hannah St. Hilaire and Matthew Ray do their best friend handshake before graduation at Poland Regional High School, in Poland, Maine. –Andree Kehn/Sun Journal via AP

A North Hagerstown High School graduate during the commencement ceremony in Hagerstown, Md. –Colleen McGrath/The Herald-Mail via AP

Silver Springs High School graduates Miles Townsend and Fiona Kearney smile at each other after delivering a speech to the crowd, school staff, and their fellow classmates during the school’s graduation ceremony in Grass Valley, Calif. Townsend and Kearney both graduated as juniors, finishing all their classes early to accommodate for their young child. –Elias Funez/The Union via AP

Identical twins Kayla and Maria Bolton, and fraternal twins Connor and Barrett Bagby pose at Grass Lake High School in Grass Lake, Mich. The two sets of twins graduated at the top of the Grass Lake High School senior class and will attend the University of Michigan in the fall. –Mary Lewandowski/Jackson Citizen Patriot via AP

Sean Newsom hugs his mother, Melissa after graduation ceremonies at Paradise High School in Paradise, Calif., After the Camp Fire destroyed the family home in Paradise, his parents relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and Newsom moved to an apartment with his older brother in Chico to finish his senior year. –Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Graduates of the Mountain Island Charter School pose for s selfie during their graduation ceremony in Mount Holly, N.C. –Bill Ward/Special to the Gaston Gazette

Celebrating with silly string and confetti, graduates laugh and smile during Hoosac Valley High School graduation exercises in Cheshire, Mass. –Gillian Jones/The Berkshire Eagle via AP

Flagler Palm Coast High graduate Brandon Schwartz gives girlfriend Kayla Tennant a kiss following a graduation ceremony at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. Just days before he was in a serious car accident, the couple went to prom. The accident made Schwartz miss his graduation, but he’s expected to make a full recovery. -David Tucker/News-Journal

A graduating senior walks to her commencement ceremony at Paradise High School in Paradise, Calif. Most Paradise High students had their homes destroyed by wildfire last year when the Camp Fire swept through the area and the school was forced to hold classes in Chico. –Rich Pedroncelli/AP