According to Metheany, administration considered holding graduation at other venues, which might have made it possible to have the ceremony on Thursday, but Foothill College was ultimately chosen for a number of reasons. The seating at Flint Center is limited, De Anza’s field is being renovated and other high schools in the district would provide a setting with opposing colors and emotions, as well as limited parking. Not only have two schools already held their graduations at Foothill College, but it also meets handicapped accessibility requirements.
Though graduation will be different this year, Metheany thinks that some of the changes may be for the better. Unlike previous years, students will get to walk across a stage when receiving their diplomas and parents will sit above the students, making it easier to see their children. Also, the early time of the ceremony will make heat less of an issue than it has been in the past.
“This will be their only graduation. Will it be at [MVHS]? No, it will not. But we’ll make it special,”
said Metheany.
Senior Naveen Alam, on the other hand, feels differently. She is worried that the timing of the ceremony will make it difficult for some of her family members to attend because they will have to take off time from work.
“The day doesn’t bother me, and the location’s fine too. It’s just the time,” Alam said.
Not only are some seniors worried about their family members being able to come, but they are concerned that non-senior students will not attend as well. According to junior Lucia Dalle Ore, she and her friends are less likely to come because it requires waking up early on a non-school day.
For senior band member Rona Berger, the timing of the ceremony is not her primary concern. Band traditionally plays at graduation, but because Foothill College will not allow objects to be placed on its track, it will not play this year.
“We played for our seniors three times, and each time we looked forward to that being us,” Berger said.
Though many seniors are upset over the changes being made to graduation, not all are. Senior Miles Wong accepts that this year’s ceremony will be different, and doesn’t mind the location change.
“I’d rather have it at Foothill than on a lump of dirt,” said Wong, referring to the current appearance of the field.
According to Metheany, the time and location of graduation was announced early so that guests could make arrangements to come. Though he acknowledges that it would be better to have graduation at MVHS, he also accepts that it was inevitable that one year a class would have to graduate in another venue when the field was renovated, and that class happened to be 2012.
