LEDGER FORUM
The Lawrence High School Class of 2002 deserved a far better graduation ceremony than the one they received on June 18.
This once-in-a-lifetime event was marred by poor decision making from the start and the result was a ceremony that was hurried, frustrating and a huge disappointment to many students and their families.
It was clear by 6 p.m. that storm clouds were nearby. Officials should not have allowed the graduate procession to the field to take place. Once there, guest speakers and students trying to give thoughtful, carefully prepared speeches were met with an audience perched on the edges of their metal bleacher seats staring at the sky instead of the stage. They did not deserve such a response to their efforts. The scrambling for cover was already underway when the attempt was made to give out nearly 300 diplomas, rapidly and in increasingly heavy rain, while thunder could be heard. The decision to move inside was necessary but came much too late. Storms do pass quickly at times, but there was no reason to take the chance of beginning the ceremony under such clearly threatening skies.
The confusion that ensued indoors was avoidable. No one was at the gym entrances to control who was entering, presumably only those with two yellow gymnasium-seating tickets. Imagine our shock to find out that we were not allowed into the gym because it was already filled to capacity, regardless of the tickets in our hands.
Administrators and police were not communicating with each other that the hallway was still filled with people, dozens of them parents, who were all barred from entering the gym while the awarding of the diplomas resumed inside.
What was the rush to proceed before knowing that everyone was safely in the building and in the designated viewing areas? Why weren’t speeches and presentations reinstated for the indoor ceremony? By the time we were able to get past the police officer at the door, the principal had long since presented a diploma to our daughter. Emotions run high on such a special day in a child’s life, but there’s simply no excuse for distraught graduates, frantic parents, or chaos on what is supposed to be a joyous, well-planned evening.
Should school officials examine the need for alternate indoor space for this and other events? Certainly. At the very least, there is a need to address how to manage any ceremony at the school under various weather circumstances and be faithful to executing the plans carefully and safely. They owed it to our LHS Class of 2002 and their families, but fell short.
Paddock Drive