Dear Bulldog Families of the Class of 2023,
As we approach the final days of your student’s senior year, we are excited to celebrate the Class of 2023! The grit and perseverance of this group of students has been inspiring to say the least - they are true Bulldogs and our administration and staff are incredibly proud of them! I am personally going to miss this group of students!
Please take just a few moments to review the information being provided below to ensure that your graduating senior, and your family, have all of the important details needed about the final activities and events for the OFHS Class of 2023.
May 1 Senior Meeting
The senior meeting will begin at 8:30am, if you do not have first period class please report to the school no later than 8:25am. There will be a lot of information shared at this meeting as well as voting on the class word and picking up your graduation cap and gown. Please note, you will not be able to pick up your cap and gown until all of your school fees have been paid.
May 4 Senior Honor Night
The invites to attend have been mailed home. This is the event where local scholarship recipients will be announced and only those that are receiving a scholarship were invited to attend.
Location: Grace Church (6941 Columbia Rd, Olmsted Falls, OH 44138)
Time: 7pm
Note: Seniors MUST WEAR CAP AND GOWN
May 23 - 26 Senior Finals: Students should follow up with their teacher for specifics
Daily Schedule: Link
May 23 - English Language Arts, Math
May 24 - Science, World Language, Art and Music
May 25 - Social Studies, Health and PE, Business
May 26 - Senior make up exam day as needed
May 30 Senior Community Day
Senior Community Day will be held May 30. Senior students will participate in an act of community service, job shadow, or attend school. Click here to view OFHS Senior Community Day Letter 2022-2023.
May 31 Baccalaureate
Baccalaureate will be held at the High School on May 31st at 7:30PM in the Harding Center for the Performing Arts (Auditorium). Several local church leaders will be conducting the service. All are welcome to attend this optional event.
May 31 Senior Blue & Gold Assembly, Senior Picnic & Senior Checkout
After attending the Senior Cookout, all seniors will need to attend senior checkout and complete the checkout form to receive their graduation tickets. Students will receive the form the week of May 15, 2023. Please complete Part 1 of the checkout form prior to May 31st. Click here to view the Senior Checkout Form.
For students who have a district-issued Chromebook device, please plan to bring the Chromebook with its charger to Senior Checkout, along with the completed form. If you are finished with your device earlier than June 2, you may stop by the technology office and turn in your device.
May 31 Schedule
-
Report to your assigned 1st period class. Seniors will attend their normal 1st and 2nd period class. All students need to arrive by 9:46 AM if they do not have a 1st or 2nd period class in the building.
-
3rd Period - Blue and Gold awards assembly in OFHS Auditorium.
-
Following the assembly will be the Senior cookout which will be held in the stadium concession stand area (weather permitted / moved indoors if raining).
-
12:45 - Senior Checkout:
-
Commencement tickets will be issued to each senior individually once they complete the entire checkout process and have no school fees.
-
Important Note: If a student lost a textbook, their device or charger during this school year they will be assessed a fee. In order to receive your commencement tickets, any last minute assessed fee must be paid prior to tickets being issued.
June 1st Commencement Rehearsal & Panoramic Class Picture
June 1st at 8:30 AM. Seniors should bring their graduation gown to rehearsal. All seniors will report to the Main gym for attendance and the large group class picture. They day will begin with a light breakfast with our Board of Education Members.
ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY- IF YOUR CHILD DOES NOT ATTEND PRACTICE, THEY CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY.
June 1st Senior Walk
Following commencement practice seniors will “walk” the hallways of the other school buildings from roughly 11:30 AM -12:45 PM. Bussing will be provided from OFHS to the buildings and back to OFHS for dismissal. Seniors will walk OFHS first, then travel to the ECC, Falls, OFIS & the Middle School and return to OFHS for dismissal.
Commencement
Commencement will be held on June 1st at 7:00 PM at Vitamix Field within Charles A. Harding Memorial Stadium. Rain dates if needed: June 2nd 7:00 PM, June 3rd 11:00 AM or June 4th 11:00 AM. Seniors report at 6:00 PM to the main gym to check-in and line up. SENIORS WEAR CAPS AND GOWNS as well as comfortable shoes (IMPORTANT NOTE: Heels are not permitted on the turf surface.)
If any of the rain dates are needed, seniors should report to the main gym one hour prior to the start of graduation for the rain dates listed above. We will announce any cancellations of commencement through several means of communication including robo-call to senior families, eblast email to parents and students, Twitter, and a post on our website. Current weather models are all showing June 1, 2023 as partly sunny and low 70s as the high with lows being in the low mid 50s with no rain. Students and families should plan accordingly.
Admission to Commencement
Gates will open at 6:00 PM for families. TICKETS ARE NEEDED FOR COMMENCEMENT. No one will be permitted into the stadium without a ticket. Each graduating senior will be given 15 Tickets for commencement. We will not provide any student / family more than the allotted tickets, if you need more than 15 tickets you are welcome to work with other families to secure tickets they are not using.
Bagley Road Traffic Control
There will be Police assistance for traffic control at both parking locations. If you are traveling eastbound to the high school parking lot, please use the west (newer driveway) entrance. If you are traveling westbound to the high school, please use the center driveway. The Police will close the High School gates once the parking lot is full and direct all traffic to OFIS.
Live Stream
For family members out of town or who do not have a ticket for the ceremony, they can view the live broadcast. Please use this link to view the ceremony on our district YouTube channel. The link will become active at 6:50 PM on the day of graduation.
Seating
Both bleachers are available for families. We have ordered a limited number of chairs to be placed on the track in front of both sets of bleachers for those family members that require this accommodation. We ask that families please use this option only if it is necessary. We want to make sure that those who have difficulty navigating stairs are able to have a seat.
Stage
The stage will be set up on the south end of the field. The scoreboard will be used to show the Senior Slide Show and live stream broadcast on YouTube.
Photography
Professional photography will be available from Ripcho Studios. There will be two photographs taken: One as your senior crosses the stage and a second with their diploma. Photos will be available for purchase after the ceremony. A QR code will be handed out along with programs at commencement and a digital QR code will be emailed out so families can order prints.
Parking
Parking will be available at OFHS as well as OFIS. We are reserving the first row to accommodate extra handicap parking as well as senior citizens. Shuttle Buses will be available to transport families from OFIS to the OFHS before commencement as well as reverse order following the ceremony. Map
Thank you for all that you have done to help define success for your child throughout their educational career. It has been a pleasure working with the Class of 2023 and their families. If you have any questions as we complete the year, please feel free to contact myself or the guidance office. After spending the last three years with this group of students, we can honestly say that we will miss them when they graduate.
Leo Spagnola - lspagnola@ofcs.net or 440-427-6100
Maridi Gurtsak - mgurtsak@ofcs.net or 440-427-6119
Mike Banyasz - mbanyasz@ofcs.net or 440-427-6118
Aimee Calderone - acaldrone@ofcs.net or 440-424-6152
Alex Lintner - alintner@ofcs.net or 440-427-6120
Educationally,
Leo Spagnola
OFHS Building Principal