CHS graduation gets new date and location

For the first time in many years, the Canton High School graduation ceremony will take place on a different day of the week at a new location.

The Canton School Committee, in consultation with Dr. Doug Dias, voted last Thursday to change the date of this year’s ceremony from Thursday, June 7, to Friday, June 8, and to move it from the traditional location in front of the Rodman building to the football field behind CHS.

The changes were approved on a one-year trial basis and will be revisited next year by the School Committee.

Dias said he also considered a move to Saturday or Sunday, which is a common graduation day for many high schools throughout the region. He also considered starting at 7 or 7:30 p.m., but the committee ultimately opted for a 6 p.m. start, noting that the earlier start time would be more convenient for staff members and would also give the graduates more time to spend with their family before the all-night graduation party.

The move to Friday evening will also benefit those staff members who volunteer as chaperones for the all-night party.

Although the vote of the committee was unanimous (with committee member Jill Stevens absent), School Committee Chairman John Bonnanzio favored tradition and wanted graduation exercises to remain in front of the Rodman building.

“I know we should pay deference to the graduates, but it’s also to those who spent a lot of money to see they were educated,” said Bonnanzio, adding that the ceremony in front of the Rodman Center reminded all of Canton that “something real special was happening.”

Committee member Reuki Schutt said she hoped money could be found to hang a banner alerting everyone to the graduation.

Dias has also made changes to the indoor ceremony in the event of inclement weather. Noting the size of the current graduation class, he said the ceremony would have to be held in the gymnasium and would be simulcast inside the auditorium.

In other news, the CHS visual arts department announced the donation of an estimated $100,000 worth of equipment by Canton Community Television (Cable 8). Television production teacher Ed McDonough said the donation continues a partnership between the cable station and the schools that dates back to the dawn of public access television in the 1980s. The equipment replaces the school’s 10-year-old system with a new central console that can take camera feeds from different locations. The new system also has slow motion playback capabilities for sports.

McDonough also asked permission for TV production students to attend this year’s Student Television Network Convention in Dallas, Texas. Students will raise their own money for the trip, which brings together hundreds of TV production students from across the country and features presentations and workshops by industry professionals. CHS graduates of this program have moved on to professional sports and television jobs and some have won film-writing awards.

Also on Thursday, world language department chairman Karen Augenstern gave an update on the status of the department at CHS. She reaffirmed the decision made last year to phase out the Latin program at the end of the current school year, but added there is strong support for the French, Spanish and German programs.

Although there is an emphasis on vocabulary, speaking, writing and grammar, students are also taught how the language is used in music, poetry, and even politics. “Our goal is for the students to speak, read, write and interpret the language and understand another point of view,” Augenstern said.

Bonnanzio was interested in how computers and technology could make the department even more cost-effective as the schools prepare for another challenging budget year in FY13.

In other financial news, school business manager Ken Leon reported that the Mass. School Building Authority has approved Canton’s application for $260,000 in reimbursements for roof repairs to the high school and the Rodman building. He said the town should receive the money within 90 days.

Leon also gave a report on the current school budget, noting that roughly $140,000 was saved through teacher “attrition.” The district has also saved approximately $380,000 in out-of-district tuition costs by taking advantage of several new in-house special education programs. The savings have been offset by an additional $109,000 in spending on educational assistants, leaving a surplus of $262,000.

Leon also gave an update on the major school construction projects. He said the four-room addition at the JFK Elementary School should be completed by the summer of 2012, while the Rodman heating system should be operational within the next 10 days. Leon said the roof projects at the high school and Rodman building are essentially complete.

The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 20.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Oct 13 2011. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.