For 22 years, students have participated in the tradition of graduating in the gymnasium of VHHS, but this year, administration decided to change the location of the graduation, according to VHHS principal Jon Guillaume. This change is in response to parents who voiced wanting to have graduation in a different location.
This year graduation will be held at the Rosemont Theater. The board approved the contract at the Sept. 26 meeting. Each graduate will receive eight tickets for their family. According to the board files, this new location will cost $33,000, plus an additional $10,000 to rent out the parking lot.
Parents and community members voiced that they wanted a bigger location, comparing Vernon Hills’ graduation to Libertyville High School’s, which is held in the NOW Arena and accommodates an unlimited number of tickets per graduate. In recent years, VHHS graduates were each given four tickets.
A committee consisting of six members who are parents, community members, and VHHS staff, sent out a survey to the staff, students, and parents at VHHS that was open from May 5-12, 2023. This survey allowed the committee to see what everyone else thought about the location of graduation.
The results of this survey showed that 33.4% of students cared more about the number of guests allowed to come to graduation, whereas 11.7% of students cared more about the proximity of the location that it would be held. The parents showed similar results; 39.1% of parents were more concerned about the number of guests, while 15.4% of parents were more concerned about the proximity of the location. 57% of people said they wanted a new indoor location.
Based on these results, Guillaume worked with the committee to propose a solution that would address parents’ concerns.
Robin Cleek is a parent of VHHS students, including one who graduated with the class of 2023. As the graduation date approached, Cleek found out four tickets were given to each graduate.
“I got pretty concerned because if [we only get] four tickets, nobody beyond our immediate family can attend,” said Cleek.
She reached out to the district’s superintendent Denise Herrmann to ask about potential solutions to this issue.
“I received what I thought was an unsatisfactory reason or response as to why they would not consider a larger venue,” said Cleek.
After that, she confided in a friend, Wes Polen, a community member in Vernon Hills. Together, Cleek and Polen decided to meet with Herrmann.
On March 13, 2023 Polen attended the board meeting held at Libertyville High School and explained why she thought the location of VHHS graduation should be moved to a bigger venue.
The main point to her argument was equity; she mentioned that LHS spends more money on graduation, and they have unlimited seating for each graduate.
At the board meeting on March 22, 2023, many parents stepped forward and gave a speech along with Cleek and Polen. Polen and Cleek also gave the board a signed petition with more than 500 signatures from the community.
After both of these board meetings, Cleek and Polen met with Herrmann and Guillaume to discuss forming a committee of parents, community members, and staff at VHHS. Cleek and Polen were both invited to sit on this committee, but only Polen accepted.
While some community members are excited about this new change, some students want the graduation to stay in the main gymnasium at VHHS.
Nethra Anand, a senior, talked about the tradition of graduating in the main gym.
“I feel like I want to like graduate from my high school, and I feel like it’s a tradition to graduate from your high school,” said Anand.