Graduation

Dear Graduating Seniors and Parents:

We are thrilled to celebrate the Class of 2024 at our Commencement Ceremony scheduled for Sunday, May 19th at 1:00PM. The Graduation ceremony will be held outdoors at Clarence D. East Stadium. Graduation is our last opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2024. Below you will find important Commencement Ceremony details.

Participation in the graduation ceremony is voluntary. Parents must notify the school in writing if their student chooses not to participate in the ceremony. Submissions should be made to Nydia Flores (Email Nydia Flores) in the Principal’s Office no later than 3:00 p.m. on Monday, May 13th.

Commencement Schedule

  • On Friday, May 17th, graduates will be at school for several events during the day. We will be holding a Mandatory Graduation Rehearsal, senior checkout and our Senior BBQ.  Times for these events will be communicated shortly. 

  • On Sunday, May 19th, graduates must report to the Green and White gym by 12:00 p.m.  Students who arrive late may not be permitted to participate.  The Stadium will be open for the public starting at 11:30am.

  • Parking will be available in the school parking lots, senior parking spaces along the railroad tracks, at the Transition Center, and along the streets.  Please contact Cindy Szymanski (Email Cindy Szymanski) for ADA accessible parking requests.

Student Attire

  • Seniors should wear appropriate attire to the graduation ceremony.  Appropriate attire is business casual; collared shirt, tie, dress slacks, appropriate footwear, dress, or blouse or skirt, and flat soled shoes are recommended.  Heels are not permitted on the field turf. Decorations of cap or gowns are not permitted. Students should only wear graduation awards that were provided to them by the high school during specific award ceremonies. 

Photography & Gifts

  • Photography will be done by our partner, Grad Images.  They will be taking photos during the ceremony of each graduate as they walk the stage and will be available for purchase.  

  • Students will keep their gowns this year after the ceremony.  Families and Students will be able to take photos after the ceremony. 

  • We also partner with the Commencement Group who will be selling flowers and small gifts the day of for your graduates.  If you would like to pre order items, you may do so at this link.

Graduation Tickets

  • We will not be issuing tickets for the outdoor ceremony this year. We will be using both sides of the stadium bleachers to allow for more family members to attend. In the event that the ceremony needs to be moved indoors, Students will be issued 4 tickets.  Tickets will be distributed at senior checkout on May 19th. Each audience member must have a ticket for entry.  

Inclement Weather

  • In the event of inclement weather, we will try our best to hold our ceremony outside by possibly moving the event to later in the day. We will plan to move the ceremony back in one hour increments with the last outdoor starting time being 3:00pm to allow for weather to move out of the area.  If we determine that we need to move the ceremony indoors, all Students will be issued 4 tickets for an indoor ceremony.  There will not be an option for families to ask for more tickets for an indoor ceremony. We will only notify families in the event that the ceremony time or location has been changed. All communication will come via ParentSquare if the ceremony time or location changes. 

Special Seating

  • For those families who require ADA accessible seating for a guest, please fill out the request form. Please note that special seating requests count in your family ticket total.

  • Graduation will also be available to be viewed online for those families who are unable to attend in person.  Streaming will be available through the York Website.

  • We encourage families to celebrate individual accomplishments. We request that guests refrain from the use of noisemakers during the ceremony.  It is important to be sensitive to all guests' desire to hear their student’s diploma being conferred. 

Scholarship Information for Graduation Program

  • We want to recognize all seniors who have been awarded scholarships by the college they plan to attend and by other agencies. To ensure that we recognize all awards, please provide us with your scholarship information by completing the Awards/Scholarship form by Friday, May 3rd. We have the information on scholarships presented at York High School during our awards nights. Therefore, you do not need to provide this information again. 

  • If you have any questions about Commencement, please reply to this email or contact the main office at 630-617-2400.

Sincerely, 
The York Administration