A Change of Scenery: Remodeling Graduation

As attendees may have noticed, the location of the Upper School and Middle School graduations moved back to the Old Gym parking lot.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the administration moved Upper School Graduation to Sotir Stadium. That year, Head of School Mr. Smyth explained, “We had to cancel on-campus learning, and we didn’t have our regular June graduation, Founders Day ceremony.” Mr. Smyth then went on to explain how the school needed extra space due to the pandemic to ensure safety precautions were met, and so the idea was proposed that the stadium would be able to fit family pods across the field. The graduation ended up occurring in mid-summer, which was not ideal, but better than the alternative of no graduation at all. 

However, the graduation for the Class of 2020 set a precedent for continuing to hold graduation at Sotir Stadium. Both Mr. Smyth and Mr. Emala particularly liked this location because it had a great backdrop: the illustrious Carey Hall. According to Mr. Smyth, “The backdrop of Carey Hall with the graduates is really spectacular.” However, sitting on the turf field under the direct sun for over an hour caused some concern, including a guest fainting during the ceremony in the stadium. Ultimately, the school realized that the stadium was just a placeholder and decided to return to tradition and more shade.

Graduation for decades had originally been held in the Old Gym parking lot, so the change was not one of novelty, but one of tradition. Master of Ceremonies, Ned Emala ‘13, stated, “There was actually a very long time, even before [the change to Sotir Stadium], that [graduation] was in the old gym.”  

Before the pandemic and the change to Sotir Stadium, the graduation ceremony had always been held in the afternoon. However, because of the higher chances of thunderstorms and the afternoon heat from the sun, the ceremony was moved to the morning in 2020. This change will remain even as part of graduation moves back to its traditional location. 

Normally, a major change evokes thoughts of disbelief and sometimes even a sense of betrayal, but the Gilman community is happy and at peace regarding this graduation change. Mr. Smyth commented that an alumnus expressed his excitement at Founder’s Day returning to the Old Gym. At the end of the day, Gilman’s administration realized that a pretty backdrop is not worth possible heat stroke and sunburns.