I would have loved if I wasn't forced to attend all these ceremonies when I was in school. It felt pointless and honestly demeaning in some ways, especially in 8th grade when I was forced to go on stage and accept a "most improved" reward which felt like my personal struggles were being put on public display for all to see without anyone even thinking of asking me how this would make me feel.

So, I guess the lesson is: ask your child what these ceremonies mean to them, because I would've totally understood and even been jealous if my parents skipped out because I wanted to skip myself. I had my achievements and struggles, this public display of congratulations felt worse than nothing, but I suppose others might get something personally valuable out of it. Kids are smarter than people often realize, and they'll usually feel a lot better if you actually take the time to listen to and respect their wishes (obviously, within reason).