Graduation Season

Clues in this puzzle

Across

• College official who leads the faculty procession (4)
• The slow, synchronized stroll to an Edward Elgar tune (5)
• These might be highest for a straight-A student (6)
• Lid that is often decorated with rhinestones, quotes, or a simple Hire Me (3)
• Square topper that shares its name with a bricklayers tool (11)
• Upward trajectory of a hat that marks the official end (4)
• Heavy piece of school-branded jewelry turned outward after graduation (4)
• Graduation neckwear that sounds like a past-tense theft (5)

Down

• Priceless piece of paper that usually comes in a padded cover (7)
• What the real world expects you to start on Monday (6)
• Pomp-filled proceeding where names are read for hours (8)
• Senior academic administrator, just a step below the university president (7)
• Colorful neck ropes that show off your extracurricular bragging rights (5)
• It might be 98 in the shade, but this one is earned in a classroom (6)

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