As the school year starts to come to a close and the summer approaches us slowly, University High School starts to prepare for the end of the 2022-2023 school year, students and staff alike get ready to say goodbye to our Olympian Class.

The Olympian Class of 2023 are our current seniors as of the time of writing, and so many are itching to get out and continue the rest of their lives that they have been waiting so long for. As each day passed and final exams start to approach, we took to ask Caryn Baseler the magnet coordinator and science teacher here at UHSSE. She is also a large part of the graduation ceremony which we have come to discuss with her.

“The first worry is the venue.” Ms. Baseler said.

The venue at which the graduation ceremony will be held is a huge worry because if there is no place to hold the ceremony, there’s no graduation. More specifically, however, is the issue of rain and the number of seats available so that every as many people can attend and a ceremony can be held as a backup in any chance of bad weather.

“We ended up going with the Yard Goats Stadium,” she added, stating that it was the best option because they provided a rain date in case of any issues. “It’ll be held on June 15 with a rain date of June 20. Which is a little after the school year.”

The aim is to try and get graduation done before the school year ends for the convenience of teachers and families who have many plans during the summer break. It’s important to have as many people as possible attend this extraordinary event in the lives of our students.

“We just found out that you can bring ten people,” was the response we got when asking how many people can attend. This is a noticeable increase from last year’s eight and we hope to utilize the great space we’ve been given to its fullest potential.

Ms. Baseler also filled us in on some more details behind the scenes like the senior slideshow or waiting to hear who the elected Senior Class Speaker will be.

“Everyone will be lined up on this baseline in alphabetical order,” Baseler added when talking about the way the event will go during rehearsal, “where everyone will go, seats, and all that.” This also allows for staff to get ready as well, there are a lot of names to memorize and the facility needs just as much time to get ready as the students do.

To send off before this great time in the seniors’ lives, Baseler had given a few quick PSAs on some Dos and Don’ts: For those who want to wear heels to the graduation ceremony, please don’t, the turf will be damaged and we want to remain on good terms with that turf for as long as we can. Decorating the caps is a big no. While it may be fun and you can fully do so after the ceremony, this is a time of unity and it is best to try and look like one solid collective class of 2023. Try and refrain from ironing your gowns, but if you do, put a towel under them because it would not be the first time they’ve melted. Lastly, it’s very important to arrive on time as the order of seating and receiving your diploma relies on your arrival.

In addition, the seniors left on Friday, May 26, on a trip to Lake Compounce as their senior trip to celebrate these four long and certainly unique school years. Prom will also be held on June 2 and run by the Olympian Class at Maneeley’s in South Windsor.

With that being said, thank you to Ms. Baseler for helping us all gain some insight into what graduation will look like, and congratulations to our Olympian Class of 2023!