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I was dreading my Arlington granddaughter’s high school graduation. I expected long speeches capable of putting even a sugar-fueled five-year-old to sleep. Offering advice to teenagers often seems about as useful as telling Dolly Parton what to wear: They have already made up their minds and believe they are doing just fine.

While we waited, the band played and the chorus performed “I’ll Fly Away,” a fitting song—and a bit of a tear-jerker.

Things became more interesting when the nearly graduated seniors marched in. In my day, students rented their caps and gowns. Today’s graduates buy them, giving them the freedom to decorate their mortarboards.

For a nosy former schoolteacher and grandmother, the caps offered a revealing look at where students were headed next. I spotted several references to the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, along with Tufts, the University of Southern California, the University of Florida, the University of South Carolina and Michigan. A large “C” on another cap might have represented Clemson, Colgate or Columbia.

Then one mortarboard really grabbed my attention.

“Look,” I told my husband. “That girl has flowers on her cap.”

It turned out to be our granddaughter. She had framed her cap with red and white flowers—the colors of her future college—and placed a large “W” for Wisconsin in the center. As the only graduate with flowers sprouting from her hat, she was easy to follow throughout the ceremony.

Once everyone was seated, I braced myself for the speeches. Instead of a parade of adults dispensing advice, only two students spoke, sharing memories from their high school years.

One address was especially moving. The speaker, the son of an immigrant single mother, ended in tears as he thanked her. He seemed destined to go far, and pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at Duke should help.

Even watching students I did not know cross the stage became entertaining. Some hurried toward their diplomas with tiny steps, apparently eager to escape the spotlight. Others savored the moment. Some stood tall, while others slouched like people my age.

A couple of students facing challenges needed assistance, and classmates stepped forward to help them.

Maybe there is hope for this generation after all. That thought did my old-school heart good.