Dear Senior Class and Parents,
I hope this note finds you doing well and that you are maintaining a positive and hopeful perspective on the future.
The purpose for communicating with you today is to ask if you would like to push the date for graduation earlier rather than wait for August. Many colleges and universities have communicated they will be starting earlier than originally scheduled and I would really like to have a graduation with every senior in attendance. With more schools adopting the earlier schedule, it is becoming more challenging to stay with the August date.
Background Information:
Presently, the Wisconsin Department of Health has told schools we cannot have an in-person graduation ceremony. It is anticipated they will send another communication to school administrators on June 30th. Their communication will either extend the no in-person graduation recommendation or suspend the recommendation and allow schools to move forward with their ceremonies. We have been monitoring their communications carefully. There is no assurance they will communicate a change to their existing recommendation.
If we choose a date in later June or July and the state does not allow us to have an in-person graduation on the date we chose, we would keep the date we chose and have a ‘car/drive up graduation’ which would go through the parking lot at NDA, create an opportunity to have a picture taken and be cheered for as you exit the parking lot. Even if the state changes their recommendations, if we cannot adequately meet the guidelines we may still have to opt for a ‘car/drive up graduation’.
Below are five options for graduation. I am asking if you would please vote for the option you would prefer. You are the most important part of the graduation ceremony so we will do what the majority would prefer.
Please know there is never going to be 100% agreement and it is important to be supportive if your choice is not the majority opinion.
On Wednesday evening I will review the results of the voting and communicate to you the decision of the majority and consequently the date we will have ‘graduation’.
Sincerely,
Patrick Browne
Principal
