The Oglethorpe Echo
Oglethorpe County High School’s graduation ceremony is headed indoors.
With an 85% chance of rain in the forecast for Friday, school officials moved the event from Patriot Stadium to The Classic Center in downtown Athens, where it will be held at 8 p.m. at the venue’s theatre.
The OCHS gym was the original backup in case rain forced the ceremony inside, but space concerns led to The Classic Center.
“Graduation is a big day, and the thought of only allowing three family members to be able to attend if we moved it into our gym was disappointing,” Superintendent Beverley Levine said in an emailed statement to The Oglethorpe Echo. “Therefore, I felt the need to look at alternatives, and having used The Classic Center before, we made the decision to move it there. Unfortunately, we were under a time constraint and could not wait out the weather.”
School officials also held a vote with the seniors and their parents, with 71% of seniors and 80% of parents voting to move from the stadium to The Classic Center.
The building will open at 6:30 p.m. Friday, and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis, according to a release from the school system.
Graduation practice originally scheduled to take place at the stadium, will now be held at The Classic Center. Students will be transported by bus from the OCHS gym on Friday morning and return to school by 11:15 a.m.
They will be given 11 tickets after graduation practice. Families that don’t need all 11 tickets are asked to share with families that might need extra, the release states.
There are weapons detectors at the doors of The Classic Center and no outside food or drink are allowed.