Braintree HS Graduation Could Become A Friday Event

BRAINTREE, MA — Instead of waking up for a Saturday morning graduation, the families of graduating seniors could be preparing for a Friday evening ceremony.

Superintendent Frank Hackett told the school committee recently that the policy and education subcommittee, in conjunction with the high school administration and central office administration, have been discussing the prospect of moving the high school graduation ceremony to Friday.

Hackett said the move to Friday would extend the weekend window for the ceremony, giving them two rain days instead of one. What was certain was the desire to stay outside and away from high school gymnasium, with committee Chairperson Lisa Fiske Heger calling the conditions for her child's 2010 indoor graduation brutal.

"I was there in 2012 and the gym was hot. That's unfortunate that the weather is the one thing we can't control. What we can try to control is the graduation time and date," Mayor Joseph Sullivan said.

With about 1,700 students in the school, an indoor ceremony would surely mean a packed and hot gymnasium with many attendees watching the ceremony from the auditorium.

School officials have been meeting with parents who are organizing the all-night graduation party about the prospect of moving the party to post-prom. That is an idea that the group is open to.

Sullivan added that moving the event to Friday with two possible rain dates could make things difficult for families trying to plan graduation parties for that weekend.

More discussions are expected in August and September before a decision is made.

Image Credit: Dan Libon/Patch