It is one of the most important days of your life, a day you will look back on for years to come, a day where the world and all its possibilities will be offered to you, a bitter sweet day where you will say goodbye to one chapter of your life and begin to write another. This monumental day is your high school graduation. 

Seniors have thought about this day a lot in the past four years, sometimes thinking of it with a smile on our faces, looking forward to the future, other times with a bit of sadness at the idea of leaving everything behind, and at times perhaps with some gratefulness (freedom and no more high school drama!). In these past four years, we’ve watched class after class graduate on the football field on Saturday mornings, waiting for the day we would take our own walk on the pathway to the future, and finally that day is nearing. Why are we changing our image of it?

This year, some members of the senior class petitioned to have graduation, which is traditionally held on a Saturday morning, to be held on a weekday night. This change would not only break from the customary way but it would become more of a problem than a solution. The argument for moving graduation to a week night is that the weather will be cooler. Although this is true, changing the date of graduation to a weekday might mean that family members and friends can no longer attend this important date due to work or travel problems that would arise. It is a much more difficult task getting relatives to travel on a work day than it is to have them dress according to the weather conditions. What would you rather tell your grandmother, that she needs to put on a hat and wear sunscreen or that she can’t come see her princess graduate from high school because Uncle Bob can’t take off work to come pick her up from her condo in Florida?

It is the new fad to have graduation at night, but this is not Laguana Beach. Yes, Saturday graduations have been known to be a little hot, but we are not in California where the heat is unbearable and graduation needs to be held at night. You’ll still look just as tan during the day as you will at night, and at least now you’ll be able to wear your designer sunglasses.

A poll has been posted on the school website asking the question: The Board of Education is reviewing a petition requesting that our high school graduation be moved from Saturday morning to a weeknight. Please choose one of the options below to voice your opinion. It gives you both choices: Saturday afternoon or a weekday night.

Everyone needs to cast their vote so we can have what our senior class wants, but before you vote consider this: Think about tradition and the bigger picture rather than your shiny faces and cap and gown tan. Your smile on graduation day, with your family all surrounding you, will make up for the heat when you look back on all your graduation pictures.