Greetings Margaret Mead Families,
Graduation is an exciting culminating event in the lives of our eighth grade students. The Mead staff is pleased to share with you the details listed below related to our upcoming graduation ceremony.
- Graduation Ceremony: The graduation ceremony will begin promptly at 4:30 pm on Sunday, June 2 at Wintrust Field (also known as Schaumburg Boomers Stadium) 1999 South Springinsguth Road, Schaumburg. Graduates should arrive no later than 4:00 pm and report to the small parking lot on the southeast side of the stadium. Families are asked to park in the south parking lot. A livestream of the ceremony will be posted to the District 54 YouTube Channel for those who are unable to attend the ceremony. All students’ names will be read during the ceremony, whether they attend or not. Students will be walking on the dirt path and grass on the baseball field and therefore should wear flat shoes (no heels). Please note that there is another District 54 junior high school graduation ceremony before our ceremony at 2:30 pm, so please be respectful of their exit when entering our ceremony. In the event of rain, we will hold our graduation ceremony on Monday, June 3 at William Fremd High School at 6:00 pm. If we have to cancel the ceremony on June 2 due to rain, we will notify all families on that day.
- Graduation Ceremony Tickets: Tickets are required to enter the ceremony. Wintrust Field is asking that we assign each family to six tickets. Students will sit on the field with their classmates, while families will sit in the stands. We will be sending tickets indicating your assigned seats home with your graduate on Friday, May 31. Families of graduates with last names A-M will sit along the first base line. Families of graduates with last names M-Z will sit along the third base line. Please complete the Graduation Ceremony Survey HERE by Monday, April 1, to determine which students will be participating and how many tickets your family will need. Thank you for your quick response to the survey.
- Entering the Stadium: Families of graduates will enter the stadium at the “First Base Gate” on the south end of the stadium and will sit in their designated seats. Guests with special needs can enter through the “Main Entrance” and once in the stadium a designated seating is available on the concourse.
- Graduation Gowns: Graduation gowns will be distributed on Friday, May 31 during the school day. Reminder that if your student is participating in the ceremony at Wintrust Field, 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 the gown. If your graduate still needs to purchase a graduation gown, then please call our main office at 847-357-6000 and we can assist you.
- Graduation Practice: Graduation practice for our eighth-grade students will take place in the gym starting at 8:00 am on Friday, May 31. If your student is participating in the ceremony, then they are required to attend practice on this day.
- Yearbooks: For those families that have purchased a yearbook for their student, it is our goal to distribute them to the eighth-grade students during graduation practice on Friday, May 31.
- Chromebooks: On Thursday, May 30, 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 31. If your student is not participating in the graduation practice and ceremony, please return their Chromebook and charger to school on Friday, May 31.
- Last Day of School: The last day of attendance for eighth grade students will be on Friday, May 31.
In closing, the graduation ceremony should be 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.
Sincerely,
M. Scott Ross
Principal
Mead Junior High