Superintendent Randy Weseman this morning announced a change in high school graduation venues. The graduation ceremonies for Lawrence High School and Free State High School will be held at Kansas University's Allen Fieldhouse, rather than Memorial Stadium, on Sunday. The change in location is due to parking limitations caused by campus construction near Memorial Stadium. Allen Fieldhouse previously was designated as the backup site for both ceremonies in the event of inclement weather.
LHS will recognize 432 graduates at its ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. FSHS will honor 362 graduates at its ceremony beginning at 4 p.m.
Comments
Nick Combs 5 years, 12 months ago
They didn't know any sooner there'd be construction near the stadium? You'd have sounded better blaming the forecasted weather...
kj 5 years, 12 months ago
I think It is ridiculous that graduation is on a Holiday weekend.
moderationman 5 years, 12 months ago
Just imagine an 80+ degree day in un-airconditioned AFH. Wonder how much weight loss will occur?
Pywacket 5 years, 12 months ago
WTF, Weseman? How hard would it have been to reserve near-the-stadium parking for handicapped and elderly only, and make the rest of us park farther away and walk a few extra hundred feet? I, for one, would not suffer any for the 5- or 10-minute walk.
And, yes--as fueldrum wonders, why the hell did they not know about the construction until 2 days before the event? The usual half-assed planning, failure to communicate, and total lack of ingenuity when it comes to resolving what should be only a minor setback. Just throw up your hands and resign everybody to the sweaty, stuffy fieldhouse--there's an example for the next generation...
The kids--not to mention the parents and other family members--are going to be terribly disappointed. I guess we can hope it pours rain--at least then we can mollify ourselves with the knowledge that the weather would've moved the event indoors (if the unimaginative defeatists hadn't already done so).
FatTony 5 years, 12 months ago
Is this not the High Schools graduations? Use your own freaking facilities and stop using the university to cover yourself.
citizenatlarge 5 years, 12 months ago
Tony - What facilities within the district would you suggest are large enough to accomodate?
midwestmom 5 years, 12 months ago
Fat Tony - WHAT FACILITIES?! Lawrence High does not have a stadium nor any other on site venue capable of holding the graduates (all at once), let alone their parents. Lawrence DOES NOT FUND SCHOOLS, nor is their real parity.
lawrence11 5 years, 12 months ago
The construction excuse was surprising. They knew about the construction for months. But, the excuse really doesn't matter. Sure, they could have changed the location earlier, but no harm has been done.
Graduation is on Memorial Day weekend because the senior classes at both schools wanted to graduate at KU rather than Haskell. KU's graduation conflicted with USD 497 graduation weekend, so USD 497 moved the weekend at the request of the seniors.
The seniors aren't too disappointed. Everyone is thankful that graduation won't be held at the respective schools where seniors are limited to bringing two guests each.
So rather than complaining, let's all accept it. I am. And I am a USD 497 senior.
FatTony 5 years, 12 months ago
Exactly my point, the forward thinking people of this town have neglected building facilities suitable for the Schools to use for thier use only. A nice Disctrict Activity Center would solve a lot of these problems. Its also my guess that there will not be 16,300 nor would there have been 50,000 to even warrant having these ceremonies at these large venues. LHS graduates 432 & Free State 362. If each student had 8 family members in attendence there would be 3456, and 2896 audience members adn we all know the numbers will be much smaller. So large enough facility to hold graduation, try the school's own gymnasium everyone else does it. Its time the City and the School District do something regarding facilities is the point. A 4000-5000 seat multipurpse gymnasium along with a 10,000 seat outdoor staduim for soccer and football would solve all the districts needs.
kj 5 years, 12 months ago
Having it on a Holiday weekend is a problem for several of the Parents I talked with.
What is wrong with Haskell Stadium? I think it is a beautiful old structure.
I am glad that they moved it . I have one family member that is on Crutches and 2 that just had knee surgery. This year I do need good parking to get them in.
RL 5 years, 12 months ago
Hmm. The parking situation must have changed drastically since last weekend's commencement exercises.
shorttrees 5 years, 12 months ago
Obviously it wasn't a problem last week for the KU graduation, and since KU knew the High Schools had scheduled use of the stadium, why was work prematurely begun? Sounds to me like more of the KU "spoiled brat" attitude of "it's mine and I won't share unless you really kiss my __". KU knew of the planned work and obviously didn't bother to tell the district before the schools started graduation practice earlier this morning, and obviously didn't care enough about the town or its seniors to delay work an additional week OR give timely notice to the district.
Wilbur_Nether 5 years, 12 months ago
I don't know whether I am relieved these are the biggest issues in our community, or whether I'm appalled that we aren't ignoring issues like this in favor of the truly important things.
jay0407 5 years, 12 months ago
this is rediculous. i am a Senior at LHS and everyone was looking forward to graduating at Memorial Stadium. you know it kind of pisses me off because our school administrators always say that LHS is always about tradition, why would they change the graduation to Allen Fieldhouse? I do believe LHS seniors have been graduating from Memorial Stadium for many years shouldn't we continue doing so to keep "tradition" it seems like tradition is just an excuse to make students do things exactly how the staff wants and we have no input. i think it is time to think about getting a new SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT!!!!
Harry_Manback 5 years, 12 months ago
My journalism graduation was at the Lied Center last weekend. There were about 200 graduates, and I brought 6 guests and could've brought more because there was room. I just went to my brother's high school graduation last night (another district) and all they got was a high school football stadium (like I did when I graduated high school), and it was fine. I'd be happy to have either Memorial Stadium or Allen Fieldhouse. But, then again, Memorial Stadium seemed to work just fine for us last weekend.
rlmtyco 5 years, 12 months ago
I graduated in 98 and we had it in Allen Fieldhouse and ill tell you what, I almost died in there, it was so freaking hot, not to mention all those kids probably drank the night before, they are going to feel like royal hell....I hope they dont make them wear dress clothes undernear it
lwhittemore 5 years, 12 months ago
I will second rlmtyco. Graduated in 97 in the Fieldhouse and it was miserably hot and the accoustics were horrible so very little of what the speakers said could be heard. So, I guess there is some "tradition" here, right?
kcwarpony 5 years, 12 months ago
jay0407, I know how you feel. Twenty-five years ago on this date, we (the class of 82') had our ceremony moved to the Fieldhouse from the stadium. Why? Because it rained in the late morning/early afternoon. Not one drop fell from the sky after 2:00pm but still they moved us to the stadium. On a beautiful spring night we were all stuck inside a hot stuffy stadium! Though I must admit, hearing some 650 seniors booing the administrators in the Fieldhouse sounded kind of cool! Try not to let this stupid decision spoil it for you.
softtalker 5 years, 12 months ago
The district knew about the construction atleast a year ago, Randy Weisman is just a lazy wus when it comes to making decsions. I went to the KU graduation last weekend and yah it was packed with people but they made it work and I guarentee there were thousands more there, than there will be at the Highschool Graduations. Randy didn't want to worry about it raining and him getting blamed for anything. If it is a pretty day on Sunday I will be outraged. I am a senior at LHS and I certainly did not want to graduate from the field house where everyone is just waiting to get out of. Thanks a lot..
citizenatlarge 5 years, 12 months ago
Shorttrees has it right.
"KU knew the High Schools had scheduled use of the stadium, why was work prematurely begun? Sounds to me like more of the KU "spoiled brat" attitude of "it's mine and I won't share unless you really kiss my __". KU knew of the planned work and obviously didn't bother to tell the district before the schools started graduation practice earlier this morning, and obviously didn't care enough about the town or its seniors to delay work an additional week OR give timely notice to the district."
Weseman isn't a mind reader.....KU didn't hold up their end of the deal.
Pywacket 5 years, 12 months ago
lawrence11 ~ Well, aren't you special? If you'll scan the posts below yours (and talk to a few more of your classmates than the small clique you possibly checked with earlier) you'll see that you don't speak for everyone. A lot of people were looking forward to carrying out the tradition of graduating outdoors at the stadium. The fieldhouse will be hot and stuffy, and--as someone pointed out--the accoustics are terrible.
And to FatheadTony, who says, "Use your own freaking facilities and stop using the university to cover yourself" ~ Cover themselves? Who are you talking to? The administrators, who probably don't give a rip? Or the disappointed students, who have no real say in the matter? Just what freaking facilities do you suggest they use? Their imaginary football stadiums?
Whether the high schools SHOULD have their own facilities isn't even the point, though. The point is that, because they DON'T have them, they have arranged to use KU's and should be able to use KU's. Either Weseman et al. have dropped the ball or KU has dropped the ball--or it's a joint f***-up. Whatever the case, it's the students and their guests who will lose by it.
When they made the decision to change this year's graduation date so that they could use KU's stadium--that was the time that KU should have committed to having the stadium and its environs in good, usuable order for the events. If there was even the ghost of a chance that SCHEDULED construction would screw things up, they should have been up front and told the school district that it was not a sure thing. At that point, the school district could possibly have contracted to go to Haskell again. There's plenty of room and it is outdoors.
Not knowing what was said, or when, I suppose KU MAY have told the school district this very thing... but instead of switching to a sure thing at Haskell, they decided to take their chances that the construction would not begin until later.
Again--one way or another, whether KU reneged on having the stadium ready and accessible or USD 497 took a reckless chance and lost--somebody screwed up. I doubt anyone will ever own up to any failure in communication or judgment, though.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.