Lorain High graduations belong at Field

Lorain High School’s graduation ceremony needs to return to Lorain this year, in particular, to George Daniel Field this year.

Details are not finalized yet, but the Lorain City Schools Board wants to bring home the commencement for the Titans’ Class of 2020.

It makes sense for the graduation day, which is scheduled for May 19, to return to Daniel Field, which is a short distance from Lorain High.

School board members Mark Ballard, Bill Sturgill, Yvonne Johnson, Courtney Nazario and Timothy Williams discussed the issue Jan. 13 as part of their first meeting of the year.

Ballard, who is president of the school board, said their desire is to bring it back home.

In January 2019, then CEO David Hardy Jr. devised an illadvised plan to move the May graduation to the Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center in Cleveland, which is at least 30 miles away.

In 2018, the ceremony took place in Lorain High’s gymnasium with an overflow crowd watching at the performing arts center.

Hardy’s reasoning to move the graduation to another county was that he would hate for an aunt, uncle, a grandparent, or maybe even a younger brother or sister who’s waiting for their older sibling to cross stage, to see it for the first time on a screen.

He also had said the district could find local businesses and charities to assist with transportation for graduates and families that needed it.

So, after some soul searching and criticism, Hardy announced Feb. 21 that he reversed his plans to hold the graduation in Cleveland and settled for Lorain County Community College Ewing Field House in Elyria.

The change came after many community concerns in regards to the long commute and a lack of transportation to and from the event.

Hardy said space and weather concerns made holding graduation at Lorain High difficult, prompting alternatives, and that Ewing Field House would allow everyone to fit in one space.

On May 21, 2019, Lorain High graduated its Class of 2019 with 467 seniors eligible to receive their diplomas for the commencement ceremony.

But now, the district will use a committee with Williams, Interim CEO Greg Ring, Chief Schools Officer LaKimbre Brown and high school Executive Director Rae Bastock to discuss the issue.

There is no firm date yet for a decision on the commencement location.

Ballard hopes to have a decision as soon as possible to let Lorain County Community

College officials know of the plan.

But what frustrated many school board members, parents and others last year was that no one outside of Lorain Schools had any input on the decision to relocate the graduation.

Williams said board members felt like the commencement got hijacked, quite frankly, and that the community felt the same.

And Williams said he argued there was little explanation to the community regarding the change.

Hardy was changing a graduation tradition for Lorain Schools and Williams felt that wasn’t the right thing to do.

Williams said Hardy wasn’t a graduate of Lorain Schools and that he was an outsider making changes without asking others.

Williams makes a good point that there are good reasons why there are traditions in place for memories and recollections.

But he said there shouldn’t be radical changes without there being a buy-in from the people involved.

Ballard also had challenged Hardy’s supposed difficulty of logistical problems.

Lorain Schools staff know how to set up the needed stage and sound system items at Daniel Field and Lorain High, so a last-minute change in plans is not too difficult.

Lorain Academic Distress Commission member Diane Xander served as Lorain High School principal and she said in seven years, she had no problem staging the event at the stadium or the high school.

In 2018, the field was getting a new artificial playing surface donated by the Cleveland Browns, so commencement was moved to Lorain High.

In June 2017, the commencement was planned at Daniel Field, but the school administration moved the event indoors due to potential for bad weather.

The change prompted about 30 students to meet at Daniel Field and protest, arguing the decision to switch venues was made too early.

The Lorain High graduation belongs at Daniel Field.

If the graduation does not take place at Daniel Field, it could be split into two sections at Lorain High: one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

Ring, the Lorain Academic Distress Commission and the Lorain Schools Board of Education should do everything they can to bring it back to Lorain.