Class of 2015 gets creative with mortarboards

Commencement mortarboards have come a long way from duct-taped greetings like “Hi, Mom!” We asked you to send some of the more creative offerings from this spring’s graduations. Click through the photos to see these heads of the class.

And, in case you’re wondering, here’s a little history of the mortarboard:

Why do high school and college students wear those funny square hats with tassels at their graduation ceremonies?

According to the German company College & Fashion (Caps-and-Gowns.com), academic caps — aka mortarboards — date to 15th century Europe and were originally worn by professors and scholars, typically those who’d earned doctorates or other advanced degrees. The caps were often decorated with embroidery, strings of pearls or feathers.

At many schools, the tradition is to wear the tassel on the right side until the graduate receives a diploma, at which point the tassel is switched to the left side.

Mortarboards are so named because they resemble the trowels that stonemasons use to hold mortar.

This story was originally published May 24, 2015 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Class of 2015 gets creative with mortarboards."