those are my first entries for your contest. With the first half I've tried to implement the signs of career and education - the tie and the graduation hat respectively. The second half are meant to represent a stamp - a certificate of excellence. Your thoughts and comments on my designs are greatly appreciated, so please don't spare me any thoughts!
I think that the ribbon and the stamp are fine ideas but likely not reflective of our innovative or 21st century edge (we'll be offering educational online games, ipad-in-the-classroom and other tech-forward solutions). I like the graduate-in-the-check idea. You may want to develop that one in ways that make the mark more similar in size to the text (better for large/small versions), lose the tie (too masculine), go more stylistic with the cap (avoid need for 3rd color), make the check more obvious (see if it can still double as the student), etc.