As of 12:30 p.m., the graduation ceremony will be held as planned at 3:00 p.m. outside at the Elkhorn stadium.
The class of 2026 is ready; the finals are done, the awards have been bestowed and the caps and gowns have been distributed. The seniors are ready to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas Sunday. Where that happens though will depend on the weather. The plan, as usual, is to have the graduation ceremony at Elkhorn stadium, but the forcast calls for a 50% chance of thunderstorms that could impact the 3 p.m. ceremony. Princiapl Mark Schroeder said the stadium is the preferred space for multiple reasons.
“The reasons you want to go outside are: A: it’s just such a cool venue, and B: people don’t have to limit how many family members can come,” Schroeder said.
Staff sets up chairs for graduation this Sunday. There is a possibility it will be moved inside due to weather.
If the weather doesn’t cooperate, Schroeder said the the EHS gym is set up and ready to host the ceremony, with overflow seating available in the audiorium. The event will have a live-stream that will be broadcast there and available online for people to view.
Schroeder said parents will be notified with the final plan by 9 a.m. Sunday morning. If the ceremony moves inside, the live-stream platform will switch from Youtube to Hudl, the platform EPS uses to stream sporting events. Schroeder said a link will be sent a link families of any graduates.
Logistics and practicality prevent the district from changing the date of the graduation. All three EPS high schools have graduation May 17, and Superintendent Bary Habrock speaks at each ceremony and members of the school board attend the ceremony as well.
Chairs are set up in the gym in case weather forces the graduation ceremony honoring the class of 2026 indoors.
“Families make travel plans; Grandma might only be in town for the weekend, people fly in, so it’s really not an option to move the ceremony to Monday,” Schroeder said. “We’re going to have the ceremony on the day we told people it was going to be.”
Whether in the stadium or in the gym, Schroeder said it will be a memorable day for the graduates and families.
“One way or the other we will celebrate the class of 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Sunday,” Schroeder said.