Everyone -- students, parents and teachers -- gathers in the school courtyard between the A building and the B building. The middle of the football (soccer) "field" is blocked off for the graduating class while all of the parents and other students pack around the area, standing. No seats are set up for the families to sit at; they stand the whole ceremony.
The ceremony begins with each class walking through the school and saying farewell to the classroom. The classrooms that they walk through are decorated with balloons and flowers. When they reach the last classroom, several younger students hand each student a balloon to hold during the ceremony.
During the ceremony, I had two of my 12KA students hang out with me. Their class was signed up to do the clean-up after the ceremony, so they didn't go home, but stuck around school the whole day. We talked as we watched the ceremony; I had them translate some of what the students and teachers were saying during the presentation. The whole event is very casual. People are entering and leaving all the time. They are moving from one side to the other. They are talking to other parents. They are playing with their kids.
Even the graduating students are talking out loud with each other as the ceremony is going on. Very different from an American graduation.
This year there were 7 graduating classes because Trefort combined with two other schools last year. It was a large group for a graduating class. Like receiving the diploma holder, the students received a small satchel with a forint coin and a polgacsa; that is what I am told is in the bags. They wear it the whole presentation. The evening was filled with students singing songs and reciting poetry. From what I could see, I think the head master was the only person that actually gave a speech.
I thought it was funny to see that every balloon with writing was in English. There were no balloons with Hungarian writing on it.
When the cermony finished, the students let go of their balloons. Two classes fought to have their set of balloons go up last. One class (the picture below) decided to tie all of their balloons together and send it off.
It was quite the experience.
