Venue change alters graduation dates for Lakewood Ranch and Braden River high schools

Trisha Pitchala, a Braden River High School senior, had been making plans for a trip to India as soon as she graduated.

Since Pitchala’s family moved from India to the U.S. in 2011, her family has tried to go back to India every two or three years. This year’s trip was supposed to begin at the end of May.

Then Pitchala found out her graduation date was moved from May 22 to June 2. 

She said the date change was disheartening.

“With graduation being moved to June for us, we have to hang onto high school a little bit longer, and it’s definitely put a dent into the summer and into our plans,” Pitchala said.

Although seniors are grateful to have graduation ceremonies, the date change has caused issues with summer plans and problems for people who have made plans based on the originally scheduled graduation dates.

Willie Clark, the executive director of secondary education for the School District of Manatee County, said district leaders were working with the Bradenton Area Convention Center in February to plan graduation when they were notified the center would not be able to exceed 500 to 600 participants for graduation.

With some high schools, such as Lakewood Ranch High School, having graduating classes in excess of 600 students, the district had to change venues and decided to move to LECOM Park after the success of last year’s graduation ceremonies.

The original dates in May were unavailable, so the district moved the graduation dates to the first week of June. The School Board of Manatee County approved the date change March 9.

“I have a calendar in my room that’s like OK, one day closer to seeing Grandma and Grandpa,” Pitchala said. “Having that dent in my summer, it’s less I get to spend with them.”

For many seniors, the date change isn’t as inconvenient as the number of tickets they could receive for graduation.

As of March 9, the school district said seniors will only receive two tickets for graduation due to COVID-19 limitations.

Clark said the district will work with LECOM Park to see if more tickets could be offered to seniors depending on how the pandemic progresses.

For some seniors, graduation will be the first time they see their classmates who have been at home for e-learning all year.

Ethan Spasciani, a senior at Lakewood Ranch High School, said most of his friends are e-learners, so he’s had to make new friends in class.

Having students at home for e-learning and others on campus full time has caused a disconnect between the senior class, but graduation will bring the class of 2021 back together, he said.

“It’ll be nice to see everyone coming together at the end of the year,” Spasciani said. “It’s kind of a last hurrah for us before we go off to college. It’s definitely going to be the most memorable part of our final year, seeing everyone together on the field, because we haven’t had that.”

The Out-of-Door Academy seniors can expect a closed, in-person ceremony limited to family members June 5.

“I’m looking forward to walking down, getting my diploma and my parents just being there because they’ve supported me, so I just want to make them happy,” said Ximena Barrales, an ODA senior. “It means the world [to have a ceremony] because I was thinking I was going to get that and have to do a drive-by graduation.”