Graduation Venue Moves to Xfinity Center
by Naomi Lawrence ‘17
This year’s Senior Class graduation has changed to June 7, 1:30 p.m., at the University of Maryland’s X nity Center. Originally, this graduation was scheduled for June 12 at DAR Constitution Hall in D.C. Principal Bill Gregory came over the intercom to announce the change on the morning of December 9.
“In August, I received a phone call from the assistant superintendent’s office, asking if I wanted to change the time and place of graduation,” Gregory explained. After discussing the possibility of the potential change with other school administrators, Gregory decided to switch venues.
Cost initially was a concern, given that the Xfinity Center is significantly more expensive than DAR; however, Gregory decided to use money from a separate account to pay for the venue, as he “did not think it was fair to ask seniors to raise additional money in their dues.”
Since Gregory’s announcement, seniors have had mixed reactions. “I’m not too happy about the venue being changed because it’s a tradition for most Montgomery County schools to graduate at DAR,” said senior Tatiana Wilson. “Also, the scenery for picture-taking is much prettier there compared to the Xfnity Center. However, getting to graduate earlier is also a bonus.”
Senior Jessica Mahoney agrees the June 7 date is better. “It makes our lives easier and lets us enjoy more days of summer post high school; plus, it means that Beach Week comes sooner,” she said.
Senior class secretary Daniela Hagan has seen much positivity regarding the changes. She feels that, “people are more excited [about the move to Xfinity] because it’s bigger, and it’s cooler because it’s at the University of Maryland.”
Gregory has additionally found that parents of the Sherwood community have also been supportive of the changes. Because the Xfinity Center is closer than DAR, families will have an easier time commuting to graduation. The exact number of tickets that will be allocated to students is not yet known; if students would like to request extra, they can do so at the Senior Parent Meeting in March.
In addition to Sherwood, three other schools will be graduating at the Xfinity Center this year: Blair and Walter Johnson on June 6, and Magruder on June 7.