13 Laughable Ways Mormons Might Celebrate Graduation

It’s graduation time! High school students everywhere will be walking at commencement and entering the REAL WORLD (Yikes!). A midst all of the celebration, some may wonder if different people (such as Mormons) celebrate graduation differently. Like all cultures, the Mormon culture has distinct customs and ideas on most everything. So here are some fun (and maybe a little goofy) ways that a Mormon could be celebrating their graduation.

Going on a Mission

Who wants to sit through a long commencement ceremony when they could be spreading the word of God? Lisa Schencker of the Salt Lake Tribune says that ever since the missionary age change, more and more young men are skipping out on yearbook signings, prom, and even graduation to go serve on their mission. You might be in high school one day and the MTC the next. Another way to celebrate graduation will be attending all the mission farewells of your friends.

Hang With Your Seminary Teachers

Who says seminary can’t be part of your high school graduation experience? Hop on over to the seminary building and have your favorite teachers sign your yearbook and get a picture with them.

Root Beer Kegger

So many graduation parties are wild and involve beer and drugs. But Mormon graduation parties would involve a root beer keg and good, clean fun (a.k.a. Ultimate Frisbee). So bring on the caffeine-free soda, jell-o salad, and funeral potatoes (even though it isn’t a funeral. Unless you are thinking about it symbolically, like the death of your high school life and birth of your life as an adult . . . ).

Hold a Press Conference for the Institute You Will Be Attending

Gather together the family and have your second cousin filming. Which will you choose? Make the announcement and answer the questions. Your Uncle will post the whole interview on Facebook for those who couldn’t make it.

TP the Principal’s House, then Clean it Up for Mutual

The evening before mutual, grab some friends and toilet paper the Principal’s home. At mutual, do a service activity which involves cleaning up the mess you made. This may be one of your last mutual activities, so make it a memorable two-parter with your friends.

Get Excited Over YSA Linger Longers

You may have heard a lot of flack over singles wards and that the only escape is through graduation (the marriage kind). But there are a lot of pluses about singles wards: fun activities, new friends, and most importantly the free food. Linger longer after church and get a delicious meal. Who knows, you may find “the one” over a bowl of chili.

BYU Senior Vacation

Don’t know which Brigham Young University campus you want to try for? No problem. Visiting all of the BYU campuses would make a great senior vacation. Graduates would travel from Provo, Utah to Idaho to Hawaii and even to Jerusalem in order to decide which campus they like best (I recommend Hawaii. I’ve never been there, but just think about the palm trees and sunny beaches).

OR Figure Out How To Tell the Family You Aren’t Going to BYU

Your family has had BYU graduates for 8 generations, but you might want to do something different. There are several good colleges out there; even the nemesis of BYU, the U of U, is renowned nationally. So figure out some ways to subconsciously ease the idea of a different school into your parents’ brains. They will still love you anyways (hopefully).

Mormon Road Trip

Get a bunch of friends together and plan an exclusive Mormon Road Trip. See the early church historic sites in Palmyra, Nauvoo, and Independence. Visit every temple in the world, or at least start to. These road trips will not only be educational and spiritual, but they will be fun with your friends. Here is a list of temples all around the world and the Historic Sites webpage on LDS.org.

Freak Out When You Get Your First Calling

WHAT! You’re an adult now and have responsibilities! Sure you were the Laurel Secretary in Young Women’s, but being the Relief Society Compassionate Service Head is a whole other world! Scary! But you don’t need to freak out too much. Callings can be fun and there will always be plenty of people who are willing to help you out.

All-Night Party Playing Board Games

Board games are a classic go-to activity for singles wards, so begin to hone your skills at an all-night party. Utah Valley 360 posts a list of some fun Mormon board games, or you can do the classic seminary scripture chase. Have fun playing games at your all-night party that ends at 10 P.M. (because that is when the Holy Ghost goes to bed).

Learn What the Old People In Relief Society and Elder’s Quorum Are Talking About

Everyone keep telling me about their grandchildren, the perfect casserole, and asking if there is a special someone in my life. What??? Don’t worry, it isn’t a foreign language, it’s just . . . different. Listen and learn. Sure that ninety-year-old guy is telling you about events in his life that you learned about in your world history class, but listen anyways. You never know what you might learn.

Get Excited/Very, Very Nervous About Marriage

Of course, many people do not get married right out of high school. But you are an adult now, so the idea of marriage is actually plausible. Never forget to “[m]arry the right person in the right place at the right time” (“Life’s Obligations”). So go on dates and look for the traits you would like to see in a spouse. Keep your standards high and pray to God always.