Jacksonville High School
“Class of 2021”
We are pleased to announce the Graduation Ceremony plans with our seniors and their families. It is our hope that the event will bring joy in celebrating your milestone!
Practice:
Commencement practice will take place on Friday May 21st at the JHS Bowl. Commencement practice attendance is required for all seniors in order to participate in the graduation ceremony. Graduation practice will begin at 10:00am, please arrive by 9:45am. Cap and gowns will not be expected for commencement practice. Tickets will be distributed to graduating seniors at commencement practice.
Tickets:
Each graduate will receive 8 tickets to share with their intended guest for the ceremony. The deadline for graduates to submit the names of their guests is noon on Friday, May 21st. Students who have not received the guest form should contact Mr. Scott at dscott2@jsd117.org immediately. The initial guest form was shared to graduates school email on Friday, May 14th, 2021. Guests will only be allowed to enter the graduation if they have both a ticket to submit at entry and their name is on the guest list.
Entrance:
The South doors to the JHS Bowl will open for guest entry beginning at 6:00pm. All guests will be expected to enter from the South side of the JHS Bowl. Please arrive early and plan accordingly. We anticipate the entry process to be timely, unique and formal. Families will enter the south doors based on the graduates last name. Guests will give their ticket to the ticket taker and have their name crossed off at the door. Door assignments are below:
A-F, Southwest Door 1
G-N, Southcentral Door 2
O-Z, Southeast Door 3
Seating:
Guests may sit in The Bowl bleachers. Persons that live in the same household need to sit together and households need to socially distance from each other in the bleachers. Please remain in your seats for the duration of the ceremony.
Masks:
Everyone in attendance at graduation (graduates, teachers/staff, parents/guests, non-vaccinated, vaccinated) will be required to wear a mask while on the JSD campus. Our JHS students and staff have been exceptional at following this guideline and we ask that you partner with us for the duration of our ceremony in the best interest of your graduate. Please honor the expectation that we have successfully endured all school year.
Ceremony:
The ceremony will take place at The Bowl on Friday, May 21st at 7:00pm. The ceremony will be livestreamed. Here is the link for the livestream (HERE) This link will also be on our Jacksonville High School website and sent out through email.
Graduation Photographs:
The school photographer from Lifetouch will take two pictures of each graduate: one as he/she receives their diploma and one posed picture just off the stage. A proof sheet will be mailed to the home address of each graduate and the photos as well as ordering information can be viewed online at the Lifetouch website. Therefore, no one is allowed on the gym floor to take pictures during the ceremony.
Fees:
I would like to remind you again about the Board of Education policy regarding the collection of fees. The following is an excerpt from the Board Policy 4:46 Collection of Student Financial Obligations:
In the event the financial obligation is not satisfied by the time of high school graduation, the graduate shall not be allowed to take part in the graduation ceremonies. The District shall pursue collection action through the Illinois Office of the Comptroller as allowed by the 15 ILCS 405/10/05 and 10.5d.
Please make note of the payment deadline of May 20, 2021. In order to be able to participate in the graduation ceremony, the deadline to pay any outstanding financial obligation is 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 20th in cash, money order or debit/credit card.
If you have an outstanding balance, a statement was sent by mail. You can also see your balance by logging into Skyward Family Access. Please keep in mind that additional fees such as: JHS Chromebook, lost/damaged textbooks, library books, etc. could still be incurred or assessed between now and the end of the school year.
If you have any questions about these dates and reminders or anything else for that matter, please contact Mr. Dion in the Principal’s office at 243-4384 ext. 2234. Thank you for your time and cooperation in this matter.