This document was last updated in March 2020.

You are in the home stretch! A few more events, a lot more tears, and you’ll have successfully graduated your child from high school. The following questions and answers will guide you through what you need to know to assist your student during this time.

This section includes:

The Melrose Permanent Scholarship Fund

The Melrose High School Permanent Scholarship Fund is a voluntary, non-profit organization primarily supported by contributions from the citizens and businesses of Melrose. It was developed by the Melrose High School PTO in 1960 and awarded its first scholarship in June of 1961. Scholarships are awarded at Senior Night in late spring/early summer.

Every MHS senior will receive an application for a scholarship in the winter. The application helps the committee determine the appropriate scholarship. A portion of the application is an essay or a list of questions giving some information about the applicant. The Permanent Scholarship Team, made up of a group of educators, will then schedule interviews with students if necessary.

Although the prompt  or questions might vary each year, the general sense is:  “What qualities or achievements do you feel make you a strong candidate for a scholarship? Elaborate on what makes you unique, stand out, sets you apart from your peers.”

Forms, typically distributed in early winter, must be submitted in late winter to the attendance office. Please refer to correspondence from MHS for exact dates. Note: Students traveling as part of an MHS exchange program over February break are typically given a deadline extension. Contact MHS administration for more info. 

The Permanent Scholarship Committee, made up of MHS educators, meets as a group to award scholarships to students. Each committee member is responsible for a specific group of students. Scholarships are awarded based on information about the student. For example, a student who attended Winthrop Elementary School may receive a scholarship in honor of a Winthrop School educator.

Yes. Some scholarships are larger than others. In some cases, a student may receive several small scholarships. In others, a student might receive just one large scholarship.

With very few exceptions, scholarships are a one-time award to be used any one-semester during the student’s enrollment in their post high school education.

Parents’ income is used to determine qualification in needs-based scholarships, however many scholarships are not need-based.If parents leave this information blank, their student can not be considered for need-based scholarships. All information included on the scholarship application is kept confidential.

The amount of money varies by student, but the smallest scholarship is typically $250. In 2018, $300,000 was awarded to over 200 graduating seniors.

No. Every student who applies for a scholarship will receive one. Scholarship money can be used for books and other college fees. One student’s participation does not affect another student’s award.

Although the money must be used for higher education, the student has 4 years to use the scholarship.

The student receives a voucher for the scholarship and can turn it in when s/he wants the funds to be sent to the college. Money is always sent directly to the school and never to the student.

The scholarship comes with information about the donor and an address. We highly recommend that your student write a thank you immediately upon receipt of the scholarship.The number one thing our kids can do to help to sustain this program for future years is to write a thank you note to the people who fund the scholarship received.A simple thank you note lets donors know where the student is going to school, what s/he hopes to study and that the scholarship money is appreciated.Including a senior picture is a nice touch and will almost guarantee they will continue to fund the scholarship.

Your generous, tax deductible donation to the Melrose High School Scholarship Fund allows us to help the graduating students year after year. For information on donations and contributions to specific scholarships, see www.mhsfund.org

College Acceptance

Student should immediately notify their Guidance Counselor.

 Yes. When colleges are aware that your student has chosen not to attend, they can offer that spot to another student, often one who has been deferred. It is helpful to all students applying to college if your student communicates to all colleges to which s/he has been accepted.

Senior Capstone Project

The Senior Capstone Project (sometimes called Senior Thesis)  is completed during senior year. Through participating in the Senior Capstone Project, students will independently demonstrate an application of the skills and knowledge that they have acquired throughout their high school academic careers. With the support of their English teacher, other staff members, the Subject Mentor and the administration, students will be guided through the process of conducting research, coordinating and implementing fieldwork, creating a final product, and delivering a culminating panel presentation.

Senior Internship

Internships begin in April and end in May, culminating in the Senior Internship Fair at the end of May.  The application for Senior Internship will be available in February during FLEX and is due in March. Exact dates are shared directly with senior MHS students.

Seniors need to find their own internships and are encouraged to try and work in a field where they currently have an interest in to see if they want to pursue this path. If your student is interested in an internship but having a difficult time finding one, encourage him or her to reach out to MHS administration to brainstorm ideas and make suggestions.

Students enrolled in non-AP courses complete their courses before the start of the internship program and are not required to go to classes during this time. A final grade is calculated using the first 3 quarters of grades, the mid-term, and final.

Your student should discuss the course requirements with AP teachers to determine if it will be possible to participate in the internship program. Students who take AP classes need to continue to take their AP classes until the test in early May. Some students who take AP classes have worked with their AP teachers on creative ways to do an internship and make up their work. Some AP students have done internships and were creative with their scheduling in April (nights/weekends).  Students can participate in partial internships that are “prorated” based on how many classes they will continue to attend. Full internships are 30 hours/week. For example, a student who continues to attend three AP classes, can complete an 18 hour/week internship.

The internship sponsor completes a portion of the internship application. In addition, a weekly log of activities and weekly writing assignment ensure that your student continues to learn during the internship.

Yes, a weekly log of activities, weekly writing prompt, and weekly time log.

No, your student cannot accept payment for the internship.



If your student’s spring sport practice and game schedule interferes with the internship, your student is welcome to discuss an alternative schedule that will accommodate.

Yes, the internship presentation is in May. Students must attend and present at the Internship Fair to receive a passing grade. The presentation should include a visual aid (poster, presentation on a laptop, etc). In addition, the student should be prepared to answer questions.

Yes, a grade will be determined based on weekly submissions and the presentation.

Senior Week

Senior week includes a variety of activities for our MHS seniors and culminates in graduation (and Melrose Grad Night). Senior week includes the prom, the distribution of yearbooks (typically on the day of graduation rehearsal) and a “signing breakfast,” graduation rehearsal, a senior trip, graduation, and Melrose Grad Night. In 2019, the senior trip was a day at Canobie Lake Park. The trip is decided by the senior class student government.

Your student pays one price for Senior Week. Regardless of the number of activities your student decides to participate in, the cost is the same. So, for example, if your student plans to go to the prom and nothing else, the cost remains the same.

All activities during Senior Week (except for graduation rehearsal) are optional but highly recommended! If your student chooses to attend none of the Senior Week activities, no fee is charged. Note: If your student plans to attend some activities, but not the prom, other activities are offered “ala carte” for a reduced rate. For example, if your student plans to attend Grad Night and nothing else during Senior Week, the cost is $10.

There is an attempt to keep the cost of Senior Week to $85 per person. This is subsidized by fundraisers and class dues, so the exact cost may change,

Yearbooks are typically distributed on the day of graduation rehearsal. 

Prom

Senior Prom is typically held at the end of May, on the Tuesday before graduation.

The location is decided by the senior class student government.

Seniors will have finished school by May 28. Underclassman guests can leave school at the start of first lunch block on the day of the prom. On the morning of prom, students will turn in dismissal notes in the main lobby. Please do not schedule any appointments before dismissal time.

Students are allowed to take non-MHS and non-seniors to the prom. All attendees must follow the same code of conduct. Students who do not attend MHS will have to bring a form to their principal that needs to be signed saying they are a student in good standing. No guest who is age 21 or older will be allowed to attend prom.

Students arrive at the the school and mingle and take group pictures. Many parents go to admire how great students look. This is an excellent time for photos!  Students are called in by bus where the following happens: 1. Check in/attendance 2. Breathalyzer 3. Bag and pocket check 4. Escorted to the red carpet by the advisor in charge of the bus where they are announced and walk the red carpet. 5. Board the bus. Note: Adults/families are not allowed into the building during this time. In case of inclement weather, the red carpet will be set up in the gym.  

Yes! The class advisors will tell students what time to arrive at MHS. Parents typically go at the same time and there is plenty of time for pictures and to watch the kids walk on the red carpet as they enter the buses.

All students are required to take the buses to and from the prom and will not be admitted to the venue if they do not take the bus.

It depends on where the prom is being held and how long it takes for the buses to return to Melrose High. A better estimate will be given prior to the prom, although typically students are back before midnight. We kindly ask that you/your child’s ride are waiting at school at that time as our staff members are not dismissed until all students have been picked up.

Yes! It is not uncommon for students to attend without dates.

Senior Awards Night

Senior Awards Night is an evening toward the end of May when students receive academic and achievement awards. In addition, Melrose Permanent Scholarships are distributed at this time.

Although it is not mandatory, students are encouraged to attend Senior Awards Night to celebrate their achievements and those of their classmates.

We recommend students dress nicely for Senior Awards Night. Each student is photographed and the entire ceremony is recorded for MMTV.

Graduation

Graduation time and date will be shared with seniors early in the school year.

It is recommended that students dress nicely for the event, although dressing for the weather is also important. If the ceremony is indoors, it will probably be hot.

The ceremony is typically over in less than 2 hours.

If the weather behaves (fingers crossed), the ceremony is outside and all who desire can attend. If the weather does not behave, each graduating senior receives two tickets for guests to sit in the gym for the ceremony. All other guests are invited to watch the ceremony on the big screen in the MVMMS auditorium.

If the weather behaves, the ceremony will be held on Fred Green field, and there will be seats for all. Many parents arrive an hour before the ceremony to ensure their group can sit together. Keep in mind, however, that there are no bad seats in the football stadium.

On graduation day, students wear:

  • a gold tassel if on the honor roll 6 out of the last 8 quarters or 5 out of the last 7 quarters if participating in an internship.
  • a silver tassel if a scholastic achiever in the top 10 percent of the class.

Students are given the opportunity to check the tassel list at the senior class meetings. If any student is unsure of status, contact their guidance counselor.

All students receive a red and white tassel.

Students who are members of: 

  • the National Honor Society receive a gold ribbon to be worn around the neck during the graduation ceremony.
  • the Global Language Honor Society wear a blue ribbon.
  • the AP capstone Diploma program wear a purple ribbon. 

Yes. Your student can request that any Melrose Public Schools employee award his/her diploma at the graduation ceremony. In the past, students have asked favorite grade school teachers, lunch servers, and coaches to award the diploma. It is a great honor to most to be asked to perform this role and rarely is a student denied his or her first choice. Students will be asked to choose the person they would like to present them their diploma in mid-March.

Students must return uniforms, text books, pay of class dues, pay lunch money overages, return lock, etc. Check with the front office if in doubt.

Yes! Prestige/LifeTouch, those same photographers who take yearbook photos, take a photo of each graduate as s/he crosses the stage. Your student should receive an order form from MHS during Senior Week. Contact MHS administration if you are having a difficult time finding it. 

Melrose Grad Night

Melrose Grad Night is an annual, substance-free, all-night party for all members of the MHS senior class, the night of the MHS graduation ceremony.  It includes more food than they can eat and more entertainment than they can bear culminating in breakfast and amazing raffles.

When your student commits to a college (or other post-MHS plan), email us at melrosegradnightinfo@gmail.com. Each year, we create mini-bios of those graduating seniors who choose to participate. We share them on Facebook page to the great excitement of many. For examples, see here: https://melrosegradnight.com/students/

Melrose Grad Night typically begins at 10:30pm on Graduation night and check in is between 10:30pm and 11pm. Please refer to information sent from the Grad Night Committee for changes to start time. 

The party ends at 5am on the day after graduation.

Yes! Since Melrose Grad Night began, over 85% of the senior class has attended.

Yes!  When you sign up and pay for Senior Week activities, you can pick Melrose Grad Night, too! For kids who buy the senior week package, the Grad Night participation fee is included. For kids who buy items a la carte, you must select Melrose Grad Night as one of your items and include the $10 entrance fee (all fees are included in advance of the evening; no money is required during Grad Night).  Remember to provide your student’s personal email address so that we can communicate with him/her.

Yes! Simply registering during Senior Week sign-ups won’t be enough. After senior week sign ups, the Melrose Grad Night Registration Team will send your student an email about Grad Night – including a request to complete our online Participation Agreement.  This is short review of Grad Night including the timing of Grad Night, expectations, and important prompts for parent contact information, health considerations, etc. Every registered student must complete the online agreement to attend Grad Night.

Kids are encouraged to get a ride from mom or dad to Grad Night, as it is a long night and driving tired is dangerous.

Yes!  Melrose Grad Night is collecting photos for the event. If you have photos from school events (sports, drama, band, after school programs, ceremonies, dances, exchange programs, etc), please email them to Gradnightslideshow@gmail.com.  We will collecting photos through May.

Melrose Grad Night is an independent non profit organization, which partners with MHS and the city but is completely funded by donations! In order to bring your student this One Big Night to remember, volunteers have been working tirelessly throughout the year. Impressed? Great! Your donations are NEVER TOO LATE.  You can donate money or a fabulous prize at www.melrosegradnight.com.

Our goal is to have Grad Night chaperoned entirely by community members who do not have graduating seniors.  Parents of seniors who are itching to be part of some of event are welcome to chaperone breakfast, including a fantastic slide show of the seniors and the highly anticipated prize distribution. Immediately following breakfast, you can drive your tired graduate home!  A Sign Up Genius for this will be available in the spring. When you don’t have a graduating senior, you are invited you to come all night!

 Final grades will be reported on Aspen shortly after graduation..

Guidance will send final grades to colleges per student request.  Students must inform their guidance counselor which colleges they want them to send their grades to.

It is the responsibility of the student to send AP scores to the college they will be attending.  To access your AP scores, you must sign up for a  College Board account at www.apscore.org  AP scores will only be available online and are typically available in July.  Once students have an account set up, with a username and password, they will also need their unique AP number that they used on all AP exams this year. Scores can be sent for a small fee from the College Board website.  Students should check with their college to learn about deadlines for receiving the scores to be considered for credit and class placement.

Each year you take AP Exams you receive one free score send by designating a college, university, or scholarship program on your first or “registration” AP answer sheet. The institution you pick receives your official score report, containing scores from every AP Exam you have ever taken, unless you have requested that one or more scores be withheld or canceled). If you wish to send scores to additional colleges, each report costs $15. Reports with rush processing cost $25 each. For more information, see apstudent.collegeboard.org

The information about school-specific acceptances is only as good as the information reported. Your student (or you) must report info to MHS Guidance, so that Guidance can update info in Naviance. In other words, if 100 kids from MHS were accepted to Harvard but only 50 reported this acceptance to Guidance, the information about acceptances reflects the information about those 50 students who self-reported ONLY. The other 50 are unknown. When next year’s Harvard hopefuls views Naviance information, the information does not reflect true MHS statistics. Make sense? Please take a moment to email MHS Guidance to them them the schools that your student did (and did NOT) get accepted to. MHS Guidance can then update the info on Naviance so that current MHS students will view information that is as accurate as possible.

Melrose Grad Night is 100% funded by community members and community businesses. It is more than just a fabulous party for our fabulous senior students. It is all of Melrose coming together to tell our youngest adults: we got you, we believe in you, we are here for you. Please remember that when your student graduates, there are many behind him or her. Let’s make Melrose Grad a reality for this year’s incoming kindergarten class. When your kid comes home and says s/he loved it, donate for next year right away! Melrosegradnight.com