Graduating is a once-in-a-lifetime event for most students. Except that it’s not. And that’s OK.

Graduations are held for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes, middle school, eighth grade, high school and college. Some people believe the barrage of graduations makes graduating high school or college feel less important, less special. However, that’s not true.

None of the graduations held for younger grades come close to being as large as the high school graduation ceremony. The younger children are simply getting a sample of what they are working toward.

The current dropout rate in America is 1.2 million students every year. That equals nearly 7,000 students every day. It’s been scientifically proven that high school dropouts make an average of $200,000 less than graduates throughout their life.

Hosting miniature graduation ceremonies for pre-school, elementary and middle school grades acknowledges the work students have already put in to school and encourages them to continue their education.

People who oppose multiple graduations claim that the ceremonies train students to look toward external judgment as a value of their worth. But the purpose of the graduations is not to have the students judged. Graduations should only be celebrations of a group’s academic achievements, not a way to single out children.

Graduation ceremonies throughout grades do not take away from the major graduations at the end of high school or college. They emphasize the value of making it that far.