Graduation

After the singing, we had the graduation ceremony outside in the front of the school.  It wasn’t anything like an American graduation ceremony as there were no caps and gowns, no student speaker and no teacher speaker. The students wore their uniforms, and the headmistress spoke.  They also gave out academic awards to the top students in each area.  There were no names read out, and no musical performances.  They used the 9th and 10th graders as place holders.  There were no potential fist fights over who would sit where, because there was a group of teachers who decided who had enough clout to boot out a student and take their seat.  I was sitting with the 9th graders and ultimately ended up in the very front row, next to the headmistress and mayor.  Geeze Carla.  I leaned to the female gym teacher who was next to me (and she doesn't speak any English) and said, it's a bit awkward being in the front row... There were, however, three students who fainted and no less than 500 boquets of flowers.  Each school leaver got flowers from their parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, etc.  While the ceremony was going on, I was surrounded by people carrying the most elaborate flower arrangements I have ever seen.  After the ceremony was over, the school leavers collected their flowers from family and friends, and each class walked out of the ceremony singing.  They each dropped a carnation in a vase in front of the school as a symbol of their time at Eötvös.  It was a neat ceremony.  Many of the pictures are of the various flower boquets that were at the ceremony.  I was trying not to be a creeper by taking pictures of strangers, but they were so different I thought you'd like to see them.  Note the picture of the 9th/10th graders holding the spots in the best seats!!

I got a little ahead of myself in this post since I haven't explained why the seniors, or "school leavers" are done with school April 30th.  In the first week of May and in the first week of June, each of the school leavers will take a series of 5 exams each week.  The first exams are all written in 5 subject areas, and in the first week in June they have 5 oral exams on the same topics.  Every Hungarian school leaver is taking these tests at the same time on the same days in the same subjects.  It's kind of like the AP tests - where the testing dates all correspond.  At any rate, the results of these exams is what decides whether or not these students get into college or not.  If they don't pass, they are totally screwed, and even in passing, it's all about a certain number total that will dictate which school they will attend.  If you achieve a certain number of points, you can to to school x.  If you achieve less points, you have to choose between school y and z.  They won't know where they are going to school until the first week in August.  AND, they are only allowed to live in the dorms if there are multiple siblings in the family, otherwise the Hungarian government deems you wealthy enough to provide an apartment for your student.  So - these tests are the most important tests these students have taken in their lives... and I hope they do well.