The Orange County Schools academic year is almost finished, with the last day of school — the district’s high school graduations — set for Friday.
Orange County Schools is preparing for Orange High School, Cedar Ridge High School and the Partnership Academy’s graduation ceremonies and to help, the district shared a graduation webpage with details for attendees ahead of the big day.
Here are highlights from what you need to know before Friday’s ceremonies.
Start Times and Locations
Unlike in past years, the graduation ceremonies will not take place at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Instead, the events will be on the district’s high school campuses.
The Partnership Academy graduates will get events started on Friday morning, with their ceremony set for 10 a.m. in the Cedar Ridge High School auditorium. The Cedar Ridge High School graduates, meanwhile, will gather in Red Wolf Stadium for a ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. Orange High School’s graduation ceremony will also take place at 7 p.m. and will be held in Auman Stadium.
If necessary, the rain dates for both Cedar Ridge and Orange High are set for Saturday, June 8 at 7 p.m. and again on Monday, June 10 at 7 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the district will announce graduation schedule changes over email, phone calls, text messages, social media and the Orange County Schools’ website.
Entry to Ceremonies
The Orange County Schools district said none of the three ceremonies will be ticketed, with all seating being general admission and doors opening one hour before each event.
For public safety purposes, the district will enforce a clear bag policy for each graduation ceremony. Clear, plastic bags that are 12 inches or small in length will be permitted, as well as any medical kits or diaper bags upon inspection. All other bags will not be allowed, according to Orange County Schools.
The district also specified no weapons, alcohol or tobacco are permitted on campuses and, therefore, at graduations. Seat cushions will be allowed for the ceremonies held in the high school football stadiums.
Once inside, Orange County Schools said guests will be allowed to take photos from their seated locations — but nowhere else. People will not be allowed to enter the track and football fields at either high school stadium at any time during the ceremonies. All graduates will also be photographed by Strawbridge Studios as they receive their diplomas, and questions about the official photos can be directed to onlineordering@strawbridge.net.
Parking
The district shared maps for parking on Friday on its Graduation 2024 webpage. Cedar Ridge High School will have general guest parking available at its west and south parking lots, while graduating students will be directed to park in the lot east of the building. ADA, VIP and staff parking will be reserved for the lots and spaces closest to Red Wolf Stadium.
At Orange High School, the general parking for participants and attendees will be reserved for the main lot directly south of the main building — with overflow parking available at Orange Middle School. ADA parking will be reserved in the parking lots to the north of the high school, closest to the baseball field, while VIP and staff parking will be to the north and south of Auman Stadium.
Attendants for Partnership Academy’s ceremony will be funneled to the parking lot on the east side of Cedar Ridge High School, with the district encouraging people to look for purple balloons to guide them on Friday.
Livestreams
Orange County Schools has provided a livestreaming link for both the Orange High and Cedar Ridge High School graduation ceremonies. Cedar Ridge’s ceremony can be watched at this link, while the Orange High ceremony can be watched here. They are also both available on the graduation webpage.
Partnership Academy’s livestream of the graduation ceremony will be privately shared, according to the district.
Featured photo via the Orange County Schools district.
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