Sedalia School District 200 will host Commencement for the Class of 2016 at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 21, in the Mathewson Exhibition Center; previous plans had intended for the graduation ceremony to be hosted outdoors, weather permitting, at Tiger Stadium.
There are key reasons for the ceremony to remain at the Mathewson center, chief among them protecting the dignity and integrity of Commencement for Smith-Cotton High School seniors and their families. Due to the size of the stadium and location of the public address sound system, there would be a delay of about two seconds which would adversely affect not only the announcement of seniors’ names as they cross the stage but also the band and vocal music performances. While temporary adjustments possibly could be made to address the sound issues, they seem to be cost-prohibitive. In addition, ongoing construction projects on the Smith-Cotton High campus would create issues with parking.
Graduation announcements list the Mathewson center as the backup location.
Superintendent Brad Pollitt said: “We know that our seniors and their families may have been looking forward to having graduation outdoors, but we want to ensure that Commencement meets everyone’s expectations as the crowning day for our graduates. They have worked hard to get to this day, so we want it to be a positive memory of their Smith-Cotton experience.”