The countdown has begun for the last day of school, which means seniors have less than 100 days left until graduation. The countdown also means that some seniors will receive cords for their hard work toward different clubs and activities over the years. However, some students will have multiple cords, some may only have one cord, and some won’t have any cords when they walk across the stage. 

Why is this? Why do students have such a differing amount of cords around their necks on graduation night? In simple terms, it comes down to determination and the willingness to do a certain task. Some students make it a goal to have a certain amount of cords they can walk with, some do not see the point in wearing them once and hanging them on a hanger for the rest of their lives.

The grand question: are graduation cords worth the hours spent volunteering? “I get the appeal, but I’m not striving for it,” senior Shepard Pedigo said.“It would be nice to have some, but I’m getting my diploma either way.” 

Cords can be seen as accomplishments for a student’s high school years, but after graduation night, do the cords really have any more significance? It seems hard to wrap around the thought of spending hours and hours for something, with the reward of a cord, and of course, the hours that sit pretty on college applications.

Cords look nice for a few hours, and bragging rights come with them for sure, but looking back, are you going to see it as time well spent or would you wish for a different high school life? Are the hours spent trying to get the cords worth it? If there was a paper that a student received that said “40 volunteer hours for 1 cord”, would students still take this offer?

The cords look nice, they do. They will last on a picture forever, and if someone spent their time trying to get as many cords as possible, applause to them. They had a goal and hopefully achieved it. But if they didn’t have fun while doing it, was it really worth it?

After all, it comes down to how the student wants to spend their free time in high school.  It just seems difficult to understand spending hours on hours to receive cords that will be worn once for 3-4 hours and then never worn again. But importantly, high school should be a time when you do what you want. Whether it be sports, a L-level elective, or an out-of-school activity. Have fun and choose your own path. Do not let the reward of cords dictate your path in high school.