Poland seniors petition to keep tradition

Moving commencement inside diminishes students’ academic achievement in favor of athletics, the seniors’ petition says.

By DENISE DICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

POLAND — More than 150 Poland Seminary High School seniors want to preserve tradition and keep their graduation ceremony outside.

Members of the senior class presented a petition to the school board this week.

The high school stadium is slated to get new artificial turf with installation expected to start in May, meaning the commencement ceremony, set for June 8, will have to be moved.

Dr. Robert Zorn, superintendent, said the plan is to have the ceremony inside of the school field house, which is the location when it rains.

“We think that 13 years of school is more important than a football game or football practice,” said senior Kaitlin Hiznay, one 159 seniors who signed the petition. “We think that we deserve to have that tradition just like the classes before us have had.”

The class includes about 225 members.

Hiznay presented the petition to the board of education.

She and senior Katie Krumpak circulated it among their classmates.

Krumpak said the non-air conditioned field house isn’t acceptable to seniors for their ceremony.

They said they believe the class should have been notified about the plans to move commencement inside. Krumpak learned about the plan from her mother, who spoke to a Bulldog Turf Club member. The Turf Club is the nonprofit organization raising money for the new turf.

The petition says that the graduating seniors who signed it are “disappointed” about the plan to move commencement and believe that it “diminishes our academic achievement” — giving it less importance than athletics.

If installation can’t be postponed until after graduation, the students propose moving the ceremony to Baird Mitchell Field at the middle school. Because that facility lacks sufficient parking and bleacher seating, the seniors want the Turf Club to pay for additional seating at and busing to the middle school, Hiznay said.

Mark Naples, vice chairman of the club, hadn’t received a copy of the petition from the students and was unaware of their request for the club to cover costs.

“If there was a way we could help out I’m sure that we would, but the club would have to vote on it,” he said.

Zorn said the school board didn’t take action on the students’ request. Other people have voiced their support for the new turf installation’s beginning in May, he said. A board decision is expected next month.

Hiznay said the group wants to organize a meeting of the senior class to educate all of them about the plan. They also want to invite school board members to that meeting to hear students’ concerns, she said.