Commencement
Commencement, the closing exercises of the school year, when diplomas are given and degrees conferred. Strictly speaking, only the graduation exercises at a college or university is a commencement, but the term is commonly applied to those at secondary and elementary schools.
A religious service, the baccalaureate, is often held on the Sunday before graduation. It is a tradition for graduates to wear academic gowns and mortarboards at commencement.
The term commencement is from the French verb commencer, to commence or to begin. It was first used in the old English universities, where each graduate was supposed to begin teaching immediately upon receiving a degree.