By Rick Palsgrove
Southeast Editor
The 2018 Groveport Madison High School graduation ceremony, as well as future graduation ceremonies, will return to the school’s Cruiser Stadium for the first time since 2001.
The graduation will be held May 25, 2018 at 7 p.m. In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved to the morning of May 26.
In recent years the graduation ceremony has been held at Veterans Memorial or the Celeste Center in Columbus.
“The Celeste Center has been great,” said teacher and coach Bryan Schoonover, who is a member of the committee that recommended bringing the ceremony back to Groveport, “but with our upgraded facility at Cruiser Stadium we feel it’s time to bring graduation back. The senior class of 2018 deserves to come home. We think the parents, students, and community will love and support this.”
Groveport Madison Assistant Superintendent John Hurd said a 16×64 foot stage will be set up at midfield of the football field in Cruiser Stadium for the ceremony with graduates seated in front of the stage, the band and choir flanking the stage, with staff seating and handicap seating on the field. The bleachers on the home side of the stadium, which can seat about 2,400, will be used by families and friends attending the ceremony. Hurd also said the stadium scoreboard’s video capabilities will live stream the graduates as they cross the stage to receive their diplomas.
Hurd said it costs $35,000 to rent the Celeste Center for graduation. He said it will cost about the same amount to purchase the stage, stage backdrop, and on field seat flooring to protect the synthetic turf, all of which can be re-used each year. He noted the purchase of the stage and other materials will be a one time expense. He said by making this move the district will save money in the future because it will no longer incur the costs to rent the Celeste Center or other venue for graduation.
