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Below is information for some commonly asked questions about graduation. More information will be posted here and sent home as graduation approaches. For questions, please contact Ryan Petersen, Graduation Coordinator.
Pre-Graduation Events & Information
SENIOR DINNER / AWARDS NIGHT: Please save Wednesday, May 7 for the senior dinner and awards night. Invitations were mailed home in early April. The dinner will start at 6:00 p.m. with the awards portion to follow at roughly 7:00 p.m. You must RSVP to attend the dinner. This is an evening organized by the school to recognize not only award and scholarship recipients, but also the entire graduating class. The dinner will be free for the seniors and a small fee will be charged for parents and guests. The senior class video will also be shown during this time. Please contact the district office if you have any questions.
CAPS AND GOWNS: These have already been handed out to students. If you have not paid for or picked up your graduation supplies, please do so as soon as possible in order to receive your cap and gown and to participate in the graduation ceremony. See Mrs. Naatz in the front office to pick up and pay for your graduation supplies. When you get them, I encourage everyone to try on their cap and gown to make sure it fits okay (we cannot arrange for replacements the week of graduation). Please make sure that the gowns are ironed before graduation rehearsal. If you have not yet ordered your cap and gown, please do so ASAP! Contact the main office or Mr. Petersen for ordering information. As the graduation ceremony is put on by the school board for the senior class, we want to remind participants that this is a formal event. Students may not decorate their gowns nor wear anything in addition to their school-issued cap and gown (including extra stoles, cords, tassels, etc.). See board policy 5465-Graduation Ceremony.
SENIOR WALK: This annual tradition is scheduled for May 14. Our graduating seniors will don their caps and gowns and return to the halls of their younger years. They will walk as a group over to the elementary school and proceed through the halls as they’re greeted and congratulated by the students and staff. STUDENTS NEED TO BRING THEIR CAP AND GOWN TO SCHOOL ON MAY 14.
SENIOR PASS FOR GRADUATION: Seniors are required to complete a senior pass for graduation by Friday, 16 at 11:30 a.m. (last day of school). This form will indicate that students have completed all of their course work, have turned in all school materials, including their Chromebook, and have paid all debts owed to the school. This form needs to be completed and turned in on time in order to be eligible for graduation. Official passes will be available in the front office the last week of school.
OUTSTANDING DEBT: If there is any outstanding debt for your student, this will need to be paid before they can participate in graduation. A list of any monies owed has been sent out and should be available online on the E-Funds site. All debts will need to be paid no later than 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 15.
REHEARSAL: There will be a senior lunch and graduation rehearsal on Thursday, May 15 starting at 11:10 a.m. following the morning final exams. The seniors will have a cookout lunch together and then help set up and rehearse for the ceremony on Sunday. It is mandatory that all seniors who are graduating attend this rehearsal. If a student is not present, they will not take part in the ceremony. Work is not an excuse for missing this rehearsal. Please help your graduate make plans to be at the school from 11:10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Bring your cap and gown to rehearsal for the group picture.
GROUP PICTURE: We have arranged for a professional photographer to come and take a group picture of the entire class during the graduation rehearsal. Bring your cap and gown to rehearsal for the group picture. Ordering information will be e-mailed when available.
TICKETS: There are two areas of seating for the ceremony: folding chairs on the gym floor and bleacher seats. Each senior will be issued 7 (seven) tickets for reserved seating (folding chairs on the gym floor). Due to the limited amount of space and seats, only those with tickets will be allowed to sit on the gym floor. All tickets for the ceremony are free but are required for reserved seating. All others who attend must sit in the bleachers (no tickets are required for the bleachers). Floor seats are individually numbered and assigned and will be handed out in a lottery after graduation rehearsal. Doors to the gym will open on Sunday for seating at 12:00 noon. All bleacher seats are general admission and do not need tickets. Do not try to reserve seats before noon. Any items that are used to reserve seats before noon will be discarded. There will be a ticket exchange for extra tickets (issued first come, first served). If you have extra tickets, please let Mr. Petersen know how many you have as soon as possible. If you need extra tickets, please let Mr. Petersen know how many you need, in writing, as soon as possible.
SPECIAL SEATING: If you have anyone in your family that requires special seating arrangements, please let Mr. Petersen know by May 9.
Graduation Day
SEATING: The ceremony will be held in the high school gym on Sunday, May 18 at 1:00 p.m. Graduates will need to be at school no later than 12:15 p.m. to get ready. Prior to that, the senior class video will be played in the commons starting at noon and the “flower ceremony” will start in the gym at 12:45 p.m. The graduation ceremony lasts about 60 minutes.
DRESS/ATTIRE: Students will wear their cap and gown for the ceremony; however, they still need to dress appropriately underneath their gown. By this we mean no shorts, no short skirts, no t-shirts, no jeans. Students should wear nice shoes – no sneakers. If you do not have any of these, we will be happy to let you borrow some clothes from school. Students not dressed appropriately will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony. (A word of caution: the robes are very thin – if a student is wearing anything too “revealing” or inappropriate under their gown, they will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony.) Students should not add any decorations to their gowns (per policy 5465) and caps may be decorated in accordance with the guidelines provided by the principal and must be approved by the principal prior to graduation. Students not dressed appropriately or with decorations on their gowns will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony.
FLOWER CEREMONY: Please check your email for ordering information.
Graduation Ceremony
PICTURES: You are allowed to get out of your seat and move towards the stage to get a picture as your son or daughter walks across. There will also be a professional photographer taking pictures on the stage as your graduate receives their diploma. They will mail you proofs after the ceremony and you can order pictures that way as well.
POST-GRADUATION CELEBRATION: Please do not allow your students to use anything like “silly-string” or confetti-poppers after the ceremony. Besides the mess that this has caused in past years, it has also damaged some school equipment, and we have even had to seek some medical attention for people who have been sprayed in the eye or have slipped on the floor. Any student who violates this will not receive their diploma until later this summer.
DIPLOMA: After the ceremony, seniors will need to go to the front office to get their diploma. They will receive the case it goes in during the ceremony.
AFTER THE CEREMONY: Guests should proceed to the commons and your graduate will meet you there.
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