Moon Area Seniors Asked to Attend Saturday Graduation Practices

The on Wednesday squelched rumors about high school classes being made up on Saturdays when it released a letter to senior students and their parents.

Instead, seniors have been asked to attend two graduation practices from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 1, and Saturday, May 28. The school will be open for seniors on those days from 8 a.m. to noon. Students and their parents should note that the practice session originally scheduled for June 8 has been canceled.  

According to district spokeswoman Megan Gallagher, the goal was to maintain the graduation date set for Friday, June 10. The district amended its calendar to account for classes missed during a teachers strike last year.

“We had to move it once because of the teachers strike and really didn’t want to move it again,” she said.

The changes were made to comply with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s requirement that students complete 180 days of instruction, according to the letter released by Senior Principal Michael Hauser. Because the district wants to maintain its tradition of holding high school graduation on a Friday, the practice days must be made up on a Saturday to keep the ceremony on schedule, Hauser said.

The Pennsylvania school code allows seniors to attend graduation practice on Saturdays, and those days may be counted toward the 180-day requirement.

 The district strongly encourages students to attend the practices. It will not provide bus transportation. Questions and concerns may be directed to district administrators.

A copy of Hauser's  letter is available on the district’s website at: http://www.moonarea.net/assets/SeniorPractices.pdf.