MHHS Seniors and Families:
We appreciate your feedback about graduation seating. We also appreciate all the responses we got to the student graduation seating preference survey. After reviewing the responses, we discovered that an overwhelming majority of students prefer to sit with their classmates (alphabetically by Academy – with the exception of honor graduates who sit alphabetically by honor status) during the ceremony. When we initially planned the pod seating for this ceremony, we did it so that families could be closer to the graduates in preferred seating. MHHS graduations are heavily-attended events, and we didn’t want our students’ closest family members or friends to have to worry about being able to see the ceremony from their seats.
With the survey results and family feedback in mind, we have decided to seat all students together on the field but also provide five tickets to each student for their families to have preferred seating on the field (near the graduates but in a separate section). Families can decide if they would like to use the preferred seating tickets or not. These seats will not be separated into pods, but there will be enough for every graduate to have five on-the-field guests. Some may choose to not utilize their tickets and sit in the bleachers, and this is perfectly acceptable. We want this experience to be special for everyone involved – students and their loved ones.
We truly had the best of intentions when making the original seating decision, but after some fantastic conversations with students and families in the past few days (in addition to the survey results), we believe this compromise is the best way to move forward. One thing we have tried to teach our students during their 13 years of public schooling is to take constructive feedback and learn from it, and that is what we have done here.
We are so proud of the class of 2022! Below you will find an updated schedule of events that reflects the seating changes, etc.
Friday, May 6: Last day of class for seniors!
Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10: Finals for seniors in courses that require finals.
Wednesday, May 11: Make-up finals
Monday, May 16: Baccalaureate Service in the Hangar at 6:30 p.m. – Seniors should arrive by 6 p.m. in the old gymnasium and should wear their graduation gown but no cap. The event should last no more than an hour. Seniors will sit on the main gym floor and guests will sit in the stands. During the event, teacher memory booklets will be passed out and Mrs. Tenille Rauls will be the guest speaker. This event is not mandatory but is a great time for fellowship as we kick off the graduation week.
Tuesday, May 17: Senior Academic and Scholarship Program at 6:30 p.m. in Dunbar Auditorium. Students who will receive a recognition or scholarship that evening will be (or already have been) notified individually.
Friday, May 20:
8:00 a.m. – Seniors will board buses at MHHS near the Bomber at 8 a.m. to do the graduation walk at Hackler Intermediate School. Wear your cap and gown. After the walk around Hackler, we will get back on the buses and go to Dunbar Auditorium for Graduation Rehearsal. Rehearsal is MANDATORY, as you will receive important information and directions about graduation.
7:00 p.m. – Seniors should be in cap and gown and meet in Dunbar Auditorium to line up. After leaving Dunbar Auditorium, students will – in seating order – walk to the field and through the faculty honor guard before taking their assigned seats on the field (alphabetically by Academy). Reserved seating will be available on the field for family members who wish to sit closer to the graduates. Each graduate will have 5 tickets to the reserved seating area. Families/guests are also welcome to sit in the stands if they would rather not sit on the field. All spectator seating (on the field or in the stands) will be first come, first served. The stadium will not be open for guests to take seats until 6 p.m. at the earliest. Family members with tickets to sit on the field will enter the stadium through the player entrance nearest to the back gymnasium parking lot.
Saturday, May 21:
If the graduation ceremony must be delayed due to inclement weather, graduation will be held on Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m.
Thank you,
Mary Beth Russell
Mountain Home High School Principal