Friday, July 17, 2020
Congratulations, Families, and Graduates of the OHS Class of 2020!
I hope that summer is going well for everyone! I want to thank you
all for your support, participation, and enthusiasm during the senior
celebrations that took place this spring! I am incredibly thankful to all the
volunteers from our staff, community members, and families who helped make each
event special.
While all celebrations were designed to honor the class of 2020
and each senior, they weren't meant to replace the nostalgia and tradition of
the formal Commencement Ceremony. Today, I am writing to share our plans and
important details for our Commencement Ceremony scheduled for the first weekend
of August.
Current Waukesha County Crowd Size Restrictions
Waukesha County has an order in place that limits crowd sizes to
no more than 100 people in one space. This crowd size order means we will be
allowed to have an in-person graduation ceremony! However, we will need to
conduct several ceremonies on Thursday, July 30, Friday, July 31, and Saturday,
August 1, with crowd-size restrictions to comply with the County Executive’s
order.
Commencement Ceremony Times, Sign-Up, and Guest Registration
To comply with crowd-size capacity limitations, we ask families to
sign up for one of 15 different ceremonies. There will be a maximum of 25
students allowed at each ceremony, and each student can bring up to 3 guests.
The name of each guest must be provided during the registration process. We
will offer the opportunity to request additional seats if there are unused
seats available. The ceremony will also be livestreamed for anyone to
access from home. Times of our ceremonies are listed below.
2020 Commencement Ceremonies
Thursday, July 30
5:00 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 31
5:00 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 1
Morning ceremonies: 8:00 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 11:45
a.m.
Afternoon ceremonies: 1:00 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m.,
6:00 p.m.
An email with the sign-up link will be sent out on July 20.
If you already know that you do not plan to participate in the formal
Commencement Ceremony, please click
here to let us know for our planning purposes. Please note that we may
end up reducing and combining ceremonies if more families choose not to
participate than anticipated.
Ceremony Sign-Up Timeline
- Monday,
July 20: Commencement Ceremony registration opens for families to
select a ceremony time. The sign up will be sent directly to parents not students.
- Registration is first-come, first-served,
because each ceremony will be limited to 25 students. Look for an email
with the sign up link shortly after 8:00 a.m.
- Take the weekend to coordinate with family
and friends to select a time. Keep in mind that the Saturday morning
ceremonies will likely be the most popular and fill up quickly. Have a
back up plan in mind.
- Thursday,
July 23: final deadline to sign up for a ceremony time
- Tuesday,
July 28: email confirmation of your ceremony time and confirmation if you
receive an extra allotment of guest seats
Ceremony Location & Live-Stream
All ceremonies will take place in the air-conditioned Gale Douglas
Field House because of the complexities of the setup, audio equipment, and
live-stream cameras. This plan ensures that none of the events are delayed,
postponed, or canceled due to inclement weather.
All ceremonies will be live-streamed and recorded for friends and
family to watch from anywhere in the world! Please share this link with them: https://livestream.com/accounts/6178651/events/2769114
Safety Measures
Students and families are asked to arrive 20 minutes before
their scheduled ceremony and enter through the Gale Douglas Field House
entrance. Students should report directly to the Field House Lobby and will be
given detailed instructions at that time. Also, we are asking families to
follow these guidelines to ensure a safe event:
- All
registered guests should arrive together and check in
when they arrive. We will have designated locations in the bleachers for
your family to sit. These spaces will be at least 6 feet apart from other
families.
- Our
staff will be wearing masks. Although they are not required, we
respectfully ask that everyone in attendance wear a mask.
- Please
avoid hugging or handshaking any graduates after the ceremony.
- We
anticipate that each ceremony will last about 50 minutes. We ask that you
leave as soon as your ceremony is over so that we can clean and prepare
for the next event. See below for details on photo opportunities around
campus.
- The
Field House will be cleaned in between each event.
- To
limit crowd sizes and maximize the number of guests each student can
bring, our faculty, band, and choir will not participate in this year’s
ceremony.
Logistics and Reminders
- Graduates
and all ceremony participants are expected to be in business casual
attire. You can click here for specific
examples.
- Students
are welcome to decorate and personalize graduation caps. Designs must be
submitted to me by email at CurtisJ@oasd.org by Wednesday, July 29.
Designs should reflect a positive message or showcase your
post-high-school plans.
- Individuals
entering the military are welcome to wear their uniforms instead of the
traditional cap and gown. You are asked to confirm your desire to wear
your uniform with your counselor by Wednesday, July 29.
- Sometimes
students enrolled in an apprenticeship or working as first responders opt
to wear helmets from their field. Students wishing to do this should
notify their counselor by Wednesday, July 29.
- We
realize many families want to take photos on the O in the middle of Rux
Stadium. We will ensure that Rux Stadium is open for families to take
pictures on:
- Thursday, July 30 (8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.)
- Friday, July 31 (8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.)
- Sunday, August 2 (8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.)
- A
professional photographer, Lifetouch, will be taking photographs of each
graduate as they receive their diploma cover. In addition, each student
will have an individual professional photo taken when they arrive for the
ceremony. The link to view and order pictures will also be available by
clicking on the Graduation tab on the OHS homepage.
- Official
diplomas will be mailed to the students on Thursday, July 30.
Finally, please understand that recent increases in COVID-19 cases
within the county may cause us to change, alter, or even cancel our plans. We
will continue to monitor the current situation and comply with local, county,
and State guidelines, and keep everyone posted on any changes.
Our entire community is proud of all of your accomplishments, and
we can’t wait to celebrate with you! Please feel free to contact me at CurtisJ@oasd.org or
(262)-560-3105 if you have any questions.
Go Raccoons!
Jason
