Buford High School Graduating Class Traditions

It's that time of year. High school graduation. From 1870, when the one room wooden school building was only open a few months of the year, to the state of the art facility that is used today, the City of Buford has always been particularly proud of it's long time commitment to the education of its youth.

The school buildings and curriculum may have changed over the decades, but Buford's City School system's "tradition of excellence"  has not, earning the distinction of being ranked in the top 20 schools in the state of Georgia in 2010, and winning the 2011 State of Georgia's Office of Student Achievements Gold Award for Students Meeting and Exceeding Standards.

Buford High School, in all it's physical manifestations, has launched hundreds of Buford's youth over the years into futures as varied as the times they lived in. But through it all, through every graduating class and hopeful step forward, there has been not only a "tradition of excellence," but also a tradition of...well...tradition.

BHS Graduating Classes: 

Records about Buford's graduating classes go back as far as 1904, when 7 students finished with Literary diplomas, and 7 with Bookkeeping. The class of 1918 saw only 7 graduates, only one of them male. At the end of WWI, the class of 1920 had only 2 recorded graduates, but by 1922 that number had gone up to 13.  This year the number of graduates is just under 200.

 Senior Year Traditions: 

Through the years Buford High Seniors have taken part in traditions such as Senior Class Trips, Class Cruises, Stunt Nights (variety shows with plenty of  "inside jokes" relating to students and teachers), and Class Prophecies. True to the times, from the 1930's through the '50's those joking prophecies for the future of the graduating class invariably predicted great financial or athletic success for the boys, and marriage and motherhood for the girls, though occasionally a few females were granted futures as best selling authors or Hollywood stars.

And of  course, what would the end of the school year be without the Annual? In 1947, the Buford High School newspaper, The Green and White, reported:

"Work has begun on the school annual which will be ready for distribution in April. The annual will have the name 'Adelante,' which is Spanish for 'Forward.' ...This year's edition will be larger than last year. It will contain eight to ten printed pages and 15 pages of pictures, including high school classes, various clubs, football and basketball teams, and the Green and White staff. There is no regular staff for the annual, but several typists are being used." 

Graduation Traditions: 

The choosing of class pins, invitations to the graduation ceremony, and the colors of caps and gowns were as important to Buford High School's past graduates as they are today. The Green and White kept students informed of the details:

"The class of 1944 chose green invitations, with the Buford seal on the front. Class pins were also chosen. Students were offered either a football motif or a date guard. The latter was to have a green background with a "B" and a football inscription."

The Class of 1950 made a significant and long lasting changes in BHS's  traditional graduation choices:

"Because this is a special year marking the turn of the half-century, the invitations are uniquely different. They are white vellum with '1950' and the Buford Seal in green and gold embossed on the front. The card holder on the inside is embossed in the shape of a cap.

A new style of gown means that the seniors will wear the school colors. Instead of the usual ivory, blue or black, the boys will wear dark green, while the girls will be dressed in white crepe nylon with satin backs. The caps will match the gowns and will be adorned with green and white tassels." 

No matter what the era, graduation ceremonies at Buford High have always contained traditional speeches. Local and prominent politicians, judges and other well known personages were invited to address the graduating classes over the years.  Baccalaureate sermons were given by local ministers from various congregations, and even by widely known clergy of the time, such as Raimundo De Ovies, pastor of  Saint Phillips Cathedral in Atlanta, who presented the sermon in 1943. And of course, then, as now, class Valedictorians and Salutatorians are chosen from among the best academic achievers and well rounded students.

In his 1936 Salutatory address, Buford High School senior J.D. West quoted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem  A Psalm for Life:

      "' Lives of great men all remind us 

    We can make our lives sublime, 

And, departing, leave behind us 

        Footprints on the sands of time'" 

He went on to say in part: 

"We realize that it does not take great, wise, or aged men to leaves such records on the sands--for everyone leaves them....Sometimes these prints are faint and blurred, sometimes they are clear and indelible...it is our earnest desire to...light the way of others who may journey along the same way....We are now about to receive our diplomas and without this final dismissal our walk on these sands would not be complete. ...As we leave Buford High we will have our awards of evidence of our achievements. After tonight our places here will be taken by others, but our tracks will always be here for them to use as examples..."

Congratulations to the Buford High School Class of 2013 for leaving it's own "footprints in the sands of time"!

Rebecca

 The Museum of Buford library has Buford school system yearbooks dating back to the 1940's.