Thoughts on graduation:
In regards to graduation day dress code, please remember we will be in a church and will be celebrating a milestone for both the student and their family. We do not have a requirement for dress code. We trust that your choice of attire will display respect for the occasion we are celebrating. The students and parents will have stairs to go up and down during the ceremony. Plan your wardrobe and shoe choice accordingly.
The graduates will gather in an assembly room on arrival, no later than 12:30pm, and will have access to a restroom and water fountain while they wait. Please make your own arrangements for lunch based on your involvement in the ceremony. Leadership members need to arrive by 10am. Music, speech, stage & flower and all tech support committees must arrive at 11am for set up and staging. You may bring your lunch and eat in the entry lobby of the fellowship hall. You are responsible for cleaning up after yourselves. No food is to go beyond that point. STUDENTS ARE NOT TO EAT OR DRINK IN THEIR CAP & GOWN!! There will be a specific lineup for the procession and respect for timely arrival is crucial for the ceremony to start on time. We don’t want to have to enforce a policy that prohibits the student from walking across the stage due to inability to arrive on time. Please respect that the assembly room doors will close promptly at 1pm. An all class photo will be taken no later than 12:45pm in the sanctuary.
It is just as important that parents are on time. Parents will have a specific lineup that correlates with the graduates. Seating will be assigned for the parents who will be presenting the graduate with their diploma cover (diplomas will be handed out at the mandatory rehearsal on the Thursday prior to the graduation ceremony). This assigned seating does not allow for your children or families to sit with you. Please make arrangements for your younger children to sit with other family members or older siblings (for the entirety of the ceremony).
DO NOT BRING YOUR STUDENT’S DIPLOMA TO THE GRADUATION CEREMONY!
There will be a photographer hired to take pictures of the ceremony and of each graduate with their parents once they are presented their diploma (cover). Details will be available at a later date with pricing and ordering. There will not be a mandatory purchase. Because a photographer is being paid for this service, we ask that family members do not enter the aisle space where the photographer is shooting and get in the way of their camera. This is offered to lighten the burden of the parents and allow a way to have the choice of ordering pictures of the ceremony. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
We are working with the media team to ensure that a livestream link will be available for out of town families and those who cannot attend in person. Details will be available closer to graduation.
Attendance at the rehearsal is mandatory. There are lots of small details that really do make a huge difference in the seamless flow of the ceremony. Please start making arrangements NOW for childcare for the night of rehearsal and for the day of graduation! Have a back-up plan too! Please make sure you’ve made arrangements at work, school, sports, or any other commitment to be off and available to attend rehearsal. Rehearsal is for the comfort and familiarity of all involved and to work out any hiccups before the big day. Rehearsal is mandatory.
Lastly, there will be programs handed out at the ceremony. These printings are very expensive. We are doing our best to use good stewardship with the costs associated with graduation. We will be sure to have a keepsake copy of the order of ceremony for each graduate. Having said this, please use discretion in the number of programs that you take at the ceremony. We want to have enough but not overspend and overprint just to find handfuls of programs left in the sanctuary at the end of the service. If you have any questions, concerns, adaptive needs, or special circumstances that you need to discuss, please reach out to a member of the graduation team so we can help. Thank you, in advance, for your thoughtful care and early planning and preparation so we can make this a beautiful day for everyone!