Commencement Changes Considered





There may be a few changes in store for those graduating from Garden City High School this June if the Garden City Board of Education decides to adopt the recommendations from a committee charged with studying ways to improve the commencement ceremony.

At the beginning of the school year, Superintendent Dr. Robert Feirsen, with the full support of the school board, asked a shared decision making, high school-based management committee to take a look at the way the district handles commencement. The group, which is comprised of administrators, high school students, parents and faculty, has been meeting two times a month. They considered the 120 responses they received from an online survey and looked at commencement ceremonies at 25 other Long Island high schools as they worked to make their list of recommendations.

Garden City High School Principal Nanine Cuttitta presented the list to the Board of Education at its January 13th work session. The school board is expected to make a decision at their regular meeting scheduled for January 27th at 8:15 p.m. in the high school library.

“Tradition is wonderful because it can give you a sense of identity,” Dr. Feirsen said. “It pulls disparate parts of the community together. The schools are certainly central to the traditions of Garden City and commencement is one of the pinnacles of those celebrations. To look at something critically that has potentially controversial impact takes a great amount of not only determination, but a great amount of courage.”

The first change the committee recommended is to have a rain date. For the past two out of three years, the commencement ceremony was held indoors in the high school gymnasium due to inclement weather. Conditions in the gymnasium are less than favorable: large crowds, poor ventilation and warm temperatures combine to make the experience very uncomfortable for all involved. The possibility of installing air conditioning has been studied but was determined to be economically infeasible and not guaranteed to effectively cool the room.

Cuttitta said the committee agreed that the ceremony should be scheduled for Saturday, with the understanding that if it is raining, the ceremony will be held the next day. If it is also raining on Sunday, the ceremony will then be held in the high school gym.

She acknowledged that most people, including the committee, do not look upon the gym as an ideal location for a commencement ceremony. However, alternate sites including Hofstra University, Nassau Community College, SUNY Farmingdale and the Tilles Center at CW Post, are simply not available since other school districts book them years in advance.

Cuttitta said the committee struggled when deciding the time of the ceremony. The committee came to a “painful consensus” that the time should be changed to 11 a.m., although two school board trustees did not agree. Cuttitta explained that the committee thought 10 a.m. was too early. Some also thought it may pose a conflict for those who attend Sunday morning religious ceremonies if the commencement has to be held on that day due to inclement weather.

School Board President Colleen Foley is concerned about the heat as the ceremony approaches the midday hour and disagrees that 10 a.m. is too early. School Board Vice President Barbara Trapasso also cited the heat as a concern for beginning the ceremony at 11. She said tents do not provide any respite from the intense heat of a June day.

The committee also addressed Dr. Feirsen’s concern that the faculty does not have a role in the ceremony. Currently, a handful of faculty members attend and sit to the side. Only those who are retiring have their name mentioned.

The committee has recommended that faculty from the entire district, from every grade including kindergarten, should be included and be provided with robes or sashes. All faculty members should be part of the procession, and the area reserved for seating should be larger. It was suggested that perhaps a faculty member should be seated at the end of each row, which would make them feel more included and as an added benefit, may help deter improper behavior among the graduates.

Dr. Feirsen and several school board members were disturbed at the behavior exhibited by graduates and the audience during last year’s commencement. People held up signs and often drowned out the names of students being announced. Some students chose to use water bottles improperly by spraying them into the air. The heat, length of ceremony and crowds added to the problem.

To help combat the behavior issue, Cuttitta recommended following the lead of many other school districts and suggested handing out empty jackets instead of actual diplomas. Last year the diplomas fell out of alphabetical order, which created a harried situation as students approached the podium. Actual diplomas can be either picked up at a later time or mailed home to students.

Another issue that the committee recommended should be looked at by the school board is limiting the number of speakers to shorten ceremony length. They recommended that the entire ceremony be completed in 90 minutes.

Foley offered to relinquish her speaking time. She said many things have been added to the ceremony over the past five years which has caused it to be rather lengthy. She suggested that the majority of student speeches be given at awards night, and emphasized that the spotlight should be on the valedictorian at the actual graduation ceremony.

Trapasso said guest speakers should be given better parameters, which would include a time limit on speeches.

The committee recommended that the traditional dress code be upheld, with boys wearing tuxedos and girls wearing white dresses. Dresses should be an appropriate length and style, worn with a slip when necessary.

Dr. Feirsen said he appreciates the committee’s ability to look at the entire process. “They have really set a very positive example for the way we approach difficult issues, and it doesn’t take a great prognosticator to tell you that upcoming in the future we are going to have a number of difficult issues to confront.”




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