By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Hays High School has set a tentative date for a graduation ceremony on Saturday, July 25.
A venue and time for the event has yet to be determined, but the event will likely be in the morning, Martin Straub, HHS principal, said Friday.
The graduation ceremony is usually at Gross Memorial Coliseum on the Fort Hays State University campus, but FHSU does not know what its schedule for that facility will be at this time, Straub said.
The district administration met with the HHS Student Council executive officers to develop tentative plans for the graduation about two weeks ago.
"I think what we all agreed was that we wanted to honor the class of 2020," he said, "and to do it in a nice commencement ceremony. That traditional approach was what everyone wanted."
Project Graduation, the students' annual post-graduation party, is tentatively set for 9 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at HHS.
It is being moved from FHSU because uncertainty with scheduling at the university. It also will give the students an opportunity to return to HHS one last time, Straub said.
Project Graduation has been a longstanding way for students to celebrate graduation safely. Students play games and can win scholarships, prizes and cash.
"We are just so hopeful that we can do it on the 25th of July," Straub said. "We are not in control of things outside of that, but what we can do is plan for it. If things are opened up, we can actually do it for the kids."