From “Pomp and Circumstance” to tossing the cap

Laura Young Riverbend News It's graduation time, and students everywhere who have completed education programs are donning academic regalia and marching toward their diplomas to the stately tune of “Pomp and Circumstance.” This final shared experience with their Class of 2026 usually includes traditions that date to medieval times, along with other ceremonial flair unique to each school and class. Today's graduation gowns are similar to those worn by scholars as far back as the 12th century, who used them to show their status, but also to keep warm in the unheated buildings of their schools. The graduation cap, called a mortarboard, also dates back to those same medieval scholars, w