Graduation is right around the corner and the senior advisors are working hard to make sure that everything is set and ready to go. There are many different tasks that the senior advisors have to plan for graduation. I had time to sit down with Mrs. Brunton and Mrs. Hutchcroft to ask them about the preparations for graduation.
They start their planning process in November or December because they have deadlines they have to meet to get graduation items ordered and here on time. One of the first tasks they have to do is have Jostens come here and measure the seniors for their caps and gowns. The measuring for the caps and gowns took place on October 11th, and then the kids had a deadline to get the caps and gowns ordered. They also have to send a survey out to the seniors to vote on what they would like their class motto and flower to be. The class of 2023 choose a dahlia as their class flower and “Tonight’s the night we forget about deadlines” from the song “22” by Taylor Swift for their class motto. They have to have the class motto and flower into Jostens by October or November so they can get invite cards ready for the seniors to order if they would like.
It doesn't stop there though; the list of tasks that Mrs. Hutchcroft and Mrs. Brunton have to complete is unbelievable. They have to put the program together and the order in which the seniors line up to walk into the auditorium. Another thing they do is prepare the graduation caps that graduates decorate to hang in the entryway to the auditorium. They trace and cut out paper caps for us to fill out with our decisions for our next steps after high school. They place these caps in the cafeteria by the auditorium for parents, along with their guests, to look at when they come to graduation. They also do a vast majority of the setup of the stage for the graduation ceremony, as well as putting together the graduation practice the seniors participate in the morning of the ceremony.
Graduation is a week earlier this year, so the deadlines had to be pushed up two weeks earlier than they normally are. Mr. Uppena helped out Mrs. Hutchcroft and Mrs. Brunton and took care of most of the work that came with moving graduation up. Mr. Uppena had to send out a survey to parents asking them if they wanted to move graduation up, along with what day they would like to have it. He also had to make sure that moving the date was accepted throughout the community because we are very driven by our community and what they do for us.
There are many behind-the-scenes details that Mrs. Hutchcroft and Mrs. Brunton do such as making sure that all the chairs are on stage and organized so all graduates can be seen from the audience, the extra flowers for decoration on stage, and setting out the table cloth that goes on the table with the diplomas. They have to make sure that the reserved seating signs are out and that the music is ready to go along with the senior video. They are on the side of the stage to tell us when to walk and get our diploma or when to go and watch the video. They are there for our support throughout the whole graduation ceremony.
Graduation takes a lot of time to plan. There are so many different tasks they complete to make graduation a success. Without them, graduation would not be as organized, nor would it look as nice in the auditorium. A big thank you to Mrs. Hutchcroft and Mrs. Brunton for being awesome advisors.