Often referred to as a graduation cap, the traditional mortarboard can be a perfect platform to express one’s individuality.
Imperial Valley high school seniors — and grads of all levels — brought quite a bit of artsy flair to the pomp and circumstance of commencement ceremonies throughout the region over the past week and more.
Here are a few collected during the course of covering several high school graduations, as well as a few submitted by our readers.
We’re keeping this gallery up and hopefully adding to it, so if you’d like to see your mortarboard make the grade, email us a photo with your name, age, and school to info@calexicochronicle.com
From funny tributes to heartfelt memorials, the designs ran the gamut. Some appear homemade, and we’ve some local businesses that actually had a cottage industry of doing the decorating for the grads-to-be. Enjoy.
Photographer Camilo Garcia Jr., who captured many of the local graduation ceremonies for us, is seen with his own customized mortarboard as he takes a picture at the Calexico High commencement ceremony on Thursday, June 10. | COURTESY PHOTO 
READER SUBMITTED: Calexico High 2021 graduate Michael Frayre poses with his customized graduation cap. READER SUBMITTED: Calexico High 2021 graduate Michael Frayre sent in a closeup of his mortarboard. 
READER SUBMITTED: Melinda Myers, age 5, wore a custom cap and glittery pink gown for her preschool promotion ceremony at Christian Childcare Center in El Centro. 
READER SUBMITTED: Johnny Valenzuela, 18, of Calexico High, decorated his graduation cap in memory of his grandparents, Juan and Socorro Martinez. 
Southwest High School graduation, June 2. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO 
Southwest High School graduation, June 2. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Imperial High School graduation, June 4. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Imperial High School graduation, June 4. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO 
A group of friends, all with customized mortarboards, celebrate together following their graduation from Imperial High School on June 4. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Imperial High School graduation, June 4. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Imperial High School graduation, June 4. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Holtville High School graduation, June 3. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO 
Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO 
Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO 
Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO 
Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO Calexico High School graduation, June 10-11. | CAMILO GARCIA JR. PHOTO
