The Graduation Box — A Special Gift for 2020 Graduates

Don’t let 2020 commencement go by without a caring gesture to your graduates.

Let’s face it. Many or all of your seniors may be deprived of an important symbolic moment in their coming of age.
Many independent schools are considering postponing graduation, which will come with lower attendance and atrophied enthusiasm. Some schools are looking to online graduations. But if we haven’t gotten quite sick of Zoom by now, we surely will be by then. It’s a letdown, but all does not have to be lost.

Do something to show you care! Show your students you still want to celebrate their achievement with a real splash. And that doesn’t mean sending everyone an email with an animated gif of confetti.

Here are just a few ideas for a private school graduation box.
1. A printed shipper box that broadcasts excitement
2. A personalized letter
3. The student’s diploma — could it be rolled up, tied with a ribbon in a plastic tube? Yes!
4. A quality piece of school apparel, something new that has not been available previously.
5. Some imprinted swag featuring a custom emblem: lapel pins, various tech gear, drinkware, embroidered key rings, luggage tags, etc
6. An oversized printed foldout

A printed foldout that’s personal and celebratory

Picture this. The printed piece fits in the box but folds out to be poster-sized. On one side is a celebratory placard that a student can use for a selfie that they can post on social media. It’s like the “I’m in!” placards a college would send in a yield package but the message “I graduated!”, or some clever turn of phrase on that concept.

The flip side is a nicely designed collage or grid of photos submitted by some combination of senior faculty, school leaders, influencers, valedictorian, and salutatorian, or others. These are self-shot submissions from your distance team. They are celebratory images of everyone blowing party horns, throwing confetti, and waving school colors.

Think of a great yield package as a model

Many schools and colleges send quality yield packages to accepted students as a yield kit. Sometimes they contain some nice swag like a school T-shirt. Others contain memorabilia more personal and unique to the school.

Foxcroft School Yield Kit | Design — Raison

A popular social element of yield packages is a celebratory placard that a student can share socially through a selfie.

O’Connell High School Yield Package | Design — Raison

The graduation celebration box is a gesture of similar sentiments as a yield package.

We’re trilled that you chose our school.
We value that enough to invest something in your graduation.
We celebrate with you!

Gen Z loves this concept!

Special-interest swag boxes have never been more popular and with the pandemic, they have skyrocketed. We’re all familiar with Dollar Shave Club’s breakthrough subscription box model and meal box subscriptions like Hello Fresh continue to flourish. Today, there is a swag box available for any and every niche interest.

Campus Cube’s tagline is “a hug from home.” | Owlcrate is a subscription box for teen readers.

Foremost, make their graduation special.

Your students will never forget 2020. None of us will. Nothing should replace the feeling of a victorious graduation ceremony, but your students should remember what their school did to make them feel valued as they cross into adulthood.