News

Graduating Families,

The Mead staff is pleased to share with you the details listed below related to important upcoming events for our graduating Mustangs: 

• Graduation Ceremony: The graduation ceremony will be in the Conant High School Main Gymnasium and will begin promptly at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, May 27. Graduates should arrive by 5:00 p.m. and report to the Cafeteria across the hallway from the Main Gymnasium.  Designated seating is available on the gym floor for guests with special needs.  Graduates with last names A-L will be seated on the west side of the gym, while M-Z will be on the east side.  Use these guidelines when selecting your seat.  Frost Junior High School will be graduating at 8:00 p.m. so please be respectful of their entrance when you exit the ceremony. All students’ names will be read during the ceremony, whether they attend or not. At the conclusion of the ceremony, students will not be allowed re-entry to the cafeteria after the ceremony. Graduates with last names M-Z will meet their families down the hallway leading out to the east doors/east parking lot. Graduates with last names A-L will meet their families down the hallway leading out to the south doors/south parking lot.

• Graduation Ceremony Tickets are NOT required for the ceremony. The Conant gym is large and should accommodate the estimated 2,000 guests without any problem.  However, we recommend that you limit your group to 6 family members only.  Please note the temperature during the ceremony in the Conant gymnasium can be excessively hot.  Unfortunately, we have no control over the gymnasium temperature.  As a result, we recommend that you please dress accordingly, bring items to help keep you cool such as a hand fan and/or water, and make every effort to sit in the lower level near the floor where it is cooler.     

• Graduation Gowns: If your student is participating in the graduation ceremony, then they are required to wear a gown in our school colors.  Please note that District 54 does NOT have graduation caps as part of our ceremonies—only gowns. We recommend that students wear dress clothes under their gown. Your graduate will come home with their graduation gown on Tuesday, May 20.  Your student will be able to keep the gown after the ceremony has taken place. 

• Graduation Signs: Thanks to District 54 for providing a graduation sign for each graduate to display at home!  The graduation signs will be coming home with your Mustang on Monday, April 28.   

• Last Day of School: The last day of attendance for 8th grade students will be Friday, May 23. Graduation practice will also take place on this day. If your student is participating in the ceremony, then they are required to attend graduation practice. 

• Eighth Grade Dance: We are excited to announce that the eighth-grade dance is scheduled for Friday, May 9 from 7:00-9:00 pm.  Thank you to our wonderful PTA for planning this special event!  If you would like your Mustang to participate in this year’s 8th Grade Dance, then please complete this FORM by Tuesday, May 6! 

• Yearbooks:  For those families that have purchased a yearbook for their student, it is our goal to distribute them to the eighth-grade students on Thursday, May 22.

• Chromebooks:  On Thursday, May 22, our eighth-grade students will be returning their Chromebooks and chargers. The last day for eighth grade students to access their Google account will be Friday, May 23. If your student is not participating in the graduation practice and ceremony, please return their Chromebook and charger to school on Friday, May 23.

Graduation is an exciting culminating event in the lives of our 8th grade students! Please know that the ceremony is a meaningful, pleasant experience for you as well as your graduate.  For that to happen, we need your cooperation.  Flowers or other gifts should be given to students after the ceremony.  Please remember that applause is the appropriate response at graduation, however it should occur at the conclusion of the ceremony to allow every family to hear the name of their student being read. Please do not hesitate to contact the main office if you have any additional questions.