South Cook News

As they said goodbye to high school, graduating seniors at Rich Township District 227 may have learned a final lesson on the value of the education they received, especially spelling.

The word "graduate" was misspelled by a vendor on the sashes draped across the student's shoulders, WBBM radio reported. The district issued an apology for the “gradutate,” typo. The sashes were delivered to the school system three months before graduation, WBBM said.

“Regrettably, there was an error in the graduation sashes provided to us by our vendor, Herff Jones," the district said in a letter to graduates and their families. "This mistake went unnoticed until the sashes were distributed, and for that, we sincerely apologize."

In a statement, Herff Jones also apologized.

 "We understand the disappointment you are experiencing at the culmination of your education and the frustration this created for all involved," the company said.

The sashes are being replaced and the graduation pictures are being photo-shopped to cover up the spelling error, the school district said in the letter to graduates and their families.

"We have already received replacement sashes with the correct spelling and will be mailing those along with the diplomas later in June," the letter said. "Furthermore, we have reached out to the graduation photographer to ensure that the pictures taken will not be affected by this error. They are in the process of photo-shopping all pictures. We will be sending out communication when those pictures are available for purchase. In addition, we want to assure all families that we are taking steps to prevent such mistakes in the future. This includes strengthening our quality control measures."

In the letter, the school system goes on to commend its graduates.

"Despite this hiccup, their achievements and resilience this year remain our primary focus," the letter stated. "We are incredibly proud of them, and we look forward to celebrating their future accomplishments."

The vendor was founded in 1920 in Indianapolis, its website says.

"The company started manufacturing class rings, medals, pins and other emblematic jewelry," Herff Jones stated. "As the years went by, the company has grown to include yearbooks, graduation announcements, diplomas, caps and gowns, and diploma frames. Herff Jones offers everything graduation and one-stop shopping."