October 14, 2008

Dear Parents and Guardians of ARHS Seniors,

The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the date of our graduation ceremony for the Class of ’09 has changed. The original date for graduation was Friday, June 5, 2009. The new date is Saturday, June 6, 2009 at 6 pm.

I apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. I’d also like to explain what led to this decision.

We typically reserve the MullinsCenter for our graduation ceremony in late June or early July. This year, another local district reserved June 5th before we did. Through our superintendent, we attempted to negotiate with this district for the date. This effort, however, was to no avail. So, we were on to thinking about the best way to adjust our plans.

What typically mars graduation ceremonies is the pressure to provide seating for all family members and guests. Traditional graduation venues – e.g., high school gyms and auditoriums - have limited seating and are unable to accommodate the ticket needs of all families. This often leads to ill feeling as family members are turned away. In contrast, over the last several years, our access to the MullinsCenter has insulated us from this. With its ample seating, we have had a graduation ceremony distinguished only by its focus on our graduates.

So, when the MullinsCenter became unavailable, our first impulse was to maintain June 5th as the graduation date and find another venue. As we looked into other options, the consideration of seating capacity quickly eclipsed all others. The seating capacity of other venues proved dramatically lower and raised the real possibility of introducing the competition for tickets that we have been able to avoid.

So, maintaining the MullinsCenter became the priority, even if it meant adjusting the date. This thinking was further supported by the assumption that those who were traveling to Amherst for the ceremony on Friday would still be here on Saturday.

There was also the concern with the Senior Party which is held the same night as graduation. We have consulted with the parents/guardians who are leading the planning of this year’s Party and they have agreed to make the necessary adjustments.

Please let me know if you have questions or concerns. Email is best: Jacksonmk@arps.org

Sincerely,

Mark Jackson
Principal

cc: Mr. Alton Sprague, Co-Interim Superintendent of Schools