Graduation. The day every highschooler looks forward to celebrating with friends and family. Being a Quaker school, Wilmington Friends has many unique traditions. Of course there are many common aspects of an American high school graduation, such as a speaker to inspire the new graduates as they make their way through adulthood, but some traditions are rooted in the Quaker religion. Abby Emsley ‘21, whose two older sisters attended public school, compared Quaker graduation to public school graduation. “So, my sisters both went to public schools, so obviously it was a lot bigger. I feel like, at Friends, it’s a lot different because it’s a lot smaller, so it’s more personal.”

The first graduates of Wilmington Friends School were Elizabeth Taylor and Ada Flinn in 1883. Even though the school was founded in 1748, it was believed that the school was simply an educational foundation for Quaker children, not preparing them for college. It was not until 1881 that Isaac Johson, a recent graduate of Haverford College, assumed the role of principal and formed Friends into the college prep school we know today. Since then, the number of graduates has drastically increased, with the largest graduating class being 2018. Each year a notable speaker is chosen to address the graduating class. Until recently, the speakers have been predominantly white males, mainly college professors. Dr. Hoadley was the first and only female speaker, and she kept that title for eighty years until Barabra Jones’s speech in 1977. Crystal Nix was the fourth woman and the first Black person to give an address. Like Dr. Hoadley, she kept that title for some time, and there have been six other Black speakers since Nix. The most notable speaker is President Joe Biden in 1983 and again in 2001 when he was Senator. Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester is a close second, delivering her speech in 2018. Recently, Friends alumni have been given the opportunity to come back and give the speech. It has not been decided who will deliver the speech to the class of 2021. 

Before the seniors officially graduate, they celebrate with three popular traditions among the Friends community. The first tradition is senior spirit week, where each day is a theme that seniors dress up and decorate the halls accordingly. Second is the noise parade held within the senior’s last week. This tradition involves seniors bringing in pots and pans, instruments, and other noise makers to create a large buzz as they walk down the halls. The third tradition is the decoration of senior cars on their last day by family or friends. This often includes white and blue paint on car windows, and other various decorations. All these traditions help build up the anticipation of receiving their diploma in June. Due to Covid-19, the 2020 ceremony was postponed until July, and kept short and sweet. This graduation was different; there was no outside speaker invited. Per tradition, two students were chosen to give a speech. It is customary that graduates walk across the stage, shake Mr. Aldridge’s hand, and receive their diploma. Last year, graduates were called to the stage one at a time where a diploma was waiting for them. There were no handshaking or pleasantries exchanged, making the event impersonal, but at least graduation was able to take place. Friends strays from other schools in that caps and gowns are not worn; instead the graduates dress in white clothing or blue blazers and khakis. The history behind the decision is religious, in that the robes worn closely resemble clerical outfits in the 12th and 13th century. Emsley ‘21 said, “That’s definitely a big difference too. I kind of wanted to wear one, because it doesn’t feel as graduation-y, you know? You have the cap and gown, and you throw your cap at the end.” Last year, to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, many graduates wore black dresses or a black ribbon to symbolize the movement. 2020 graduate Ajala Elmore commented, “Wearing a black dress symbolized not only the Black struggle that I go through daily, but it shows the work that everyone has to put in to make not only WFS a more diverse and inclusive place, but the world.” Last year sunglasses were also a staple, because of the intense summer sun due to the postponed ceremony. A tradition that may seem strange is the graduates smoking a cigar after the ceremony. While smoking is frowned upon today due to health problems, the tradition symbolizes the maturity of the students and the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another. Smoking a cigar was seen as a rite of passage, which is why the tradition still continues today. Rebecca Zug, Head of Upper School, had this to say in response, “Horrible! That is not an official sanctioned school tradition at all.” She wants to be clear that the tradition of smoking cigars has nothing to do with Wilmington Friends, and all depends on the parents or guardians of the graduate. It is clear that each tradition is upheld with the utmost respect and cherished in the Friends community.

Per tradition, this year a special speaker is invited to Friends graduation, and the Head of School, Ken Aldridge, will speak the week before at the Final Assembly, which will be held this year. Final Assembly will look different. The seniors will be in the theatre as usual, but the rest of the high school will be in advisories watching on zoom. Graduation itself will take place outside no matter what, which is why a rain date is planned. Zug explained, “In non-pandemic years we have a rain option, and hopefully we don’t have to use this for that class of 2022. Although, it can be nice! It’s fine, except we do it in the theatre when it rains, but in a pandemic we can’t even do it inside. So, we have to have a rain date.” She further explained that graduation is expected to take place on a Saturday (June 4th), but if it rains it will be held the next day (Sunday, June 5th). To account for COVID-19, masks will be required, families and friends will be in pods, the pods will be spaced out six feet a part, there will be no handshakes when the graduates receive their diplomas, and no refreshments. Although Zug does not know the history behind the traditional wardrobe for Quaker graduation, she commented, “Thankfully, we have moved away from gender based dress code. So, now say we don’t identify who gets to wear white and who is in a blazer and khaki pants. We just say these are the things you can do: white dress, white pants, white top, navy blue blazer, khaki pants.” No matter the circumstance, Wilmington Friends always finds a way to make graduations work!