Class of 2018 Graduation Ceremonies Schedule

15 responses to “Class of 2018 Graduation Ceremonies Schedule”

1. Anonymous | November 19, 2017 at 4:44 PM |

   Last year, Clarkston HS and Cross Keys HS did not graduate at the Georgia World Congress Center. DCSD let Clarkston HS graduate at Hallford Stadium, which is almost just across the street from Clarkston HS. DCSD let Cross Keys HS graduate at North DeKalb Stadium in Chamblee.
   I had always wondered whether these schools were glad or whether they felt left out.
   Do you know how these two communities have reacted to news that they will graduate in downtown Atlanta?
   Do you know if DCSD will provide transportation for students or their families? Clarkston graduates on a Friday night at 7pm and Cross Keys graduates on Saturday afternoon at 4pm.
   I think this is a very costly plan, and was really a solution looking for a problem. If some schools used churches, then why couldn’t they use their regional stadium instead? Dunwoody, Cross Keys, and Chamblee used North DeKalb Stadium for years and years. Yes, it is hot and yes there was always fear of rain. But all teachers could attend and it was a lot less expensive.
   $300K would cover 6 new teachers or maybe 6 maintenance workers or maybe it could be used to for more interpreters.
   I agree that the graduation videos were nice. But I doubt that the $300K figure covers all of the District cost to set up for graduation and make those videos. Excluding teachers is sad.
   But when Dr. Green makes up his mind, look out! It’s gonna happen!
2. Joy | November 20, 2017 at 8:36 PM |

   Mr Jester,
   Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I love this time of year. Nothing like a good exchange of information to let us know that we are truly blessed and fortunate. Now to another topic related to communication.
   I did not know where to post this comment. I know that you have been busy lately. Unless I missed it, there was never a complete HR Report posted for the last BOE Meeting. As I think we can agree, DeKalb has had some issues lately concerning their hiring.
   http://www.myajc.com/news/local-education/dekalb-teacher-says-incorrect-narrative-led-her-dismissal/CQFcI9OEnm43i5TRnjsyVL/
   A quote from this article :
   “District officials admitted recently that simple functions of a background check, including checking references and verifying work history on an applicant’s resume or application, don’t always happen.”
   Stan,
   I cannot get the spell check to work.
   It seems like those would be very important steps in the hiring process.
   Not posting the names after a comment like this only gives parents and staff more reasons to be concerned.
   Please look into this.
   Thank you.
3. Anonymous | November 20, 2017 at 10:01 PM |

   Joy, you might be interested to know that at the July 10, 2017 BOE Work Session, a DCSD Human Capital Management employee told the BOE and Dr. Green that they are googling potential employees as part of the hiring process. You can watch the video on-demand at the DCSD website.
   If that was true, then DCSD HCM would have found out the same information that a Chamblee Middle School parent found out by googling Ms. Meeks-Speller. And maybe this whole harmful episode could have been avoided.
   So what’s going on here? Do we have to add false or misleading statements to the BOE to the list of HCM problems?
   I also agree with Joy that the new format of the HCM report presented in November is terribly incomplete. I hope that the BOE insists that the old format be presented too.
4. Joy | November 21, 2017 at 12:39 AM |

   @Anon,
   Thank you for the information. The link provided is another situation. A person accused of an incident in APS, apparently got a job in DeKalb.
   http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/mother-claims-autistic-son-sprayed-lysol-teacher-article-1.3632317
5. Retired DeKalb teacher fed up with wasteful spending. | November 23, 2017 at 9:59 PM |

   I personally feel the entire administration of DEKALB County Schools are all incompetent. From the top with Greene to whomever at the bottom! Will we ever hire an adninistrator capable of righting this sinking ship? Poor students are losing daily. White teachers are nonexistent when there is hiring. White teachers are NEVER CONSIDERED FOR A POSITION. And I know this from personal experience in my own family. IT HAPPENS!

   1
6. Teacher | January 25, 2018 at 8:27 PM |

   As a middle school teacher who enjoys going to graduation ceremonies to support her former students, I hate the scheduling at the GWCC. But graduation is definitely not about me. It is about students and their families. I think have the ceremonies during the day on weekdays discriminated against families with hourly paying jobs. Theses loved ones must choose whether to miss work and lose pay or miss out on their loved one’s graduation. Seems inconsiderate of the district to me. How about the district takes the $300,000 and puts it towards building its own facility big enough for these graduation ceremonies?
7. Stan Jester | February 27, 2018 at 12:16 PM |

   2017 DCSD Graduation Programs Operations Budget – I assume 2018 graduation ceremonies will be similarly priced …
   Audio Visual Services – $204,000.00
   Pipe and Drape throughout Halls 1 & 2) – $2,500.00
   Coach Line Transportation for Students – $35,000.00
   Photography – $25,000.00
   Live Internet Stream – $1,005.00
   Facility Use Cost (Halls C1/C2) – $49,500.00
   Electricity – $5,000.00
   Staff Parking – $400.00
   Emergency/First Aid +Services – $4,688.00
   Headsets for Staff – $1, 062.50
   Stage Aesthetics (Ferns) – $835.00
   Printing of Directional Signs – $856.00
   Certificate of Liability Insurance – $919.00
8. Anonymous | February 27, 2018 at 4:01 PM |

   So the grand total is $330,765.50 for 2017 DCSD graduation. In 2017 there were 6038 seniors. The graduation rate was 73.954%, so there should have been 4465 graduates.
   This means that DCSD spent about $75 per graduate on graduation ceremonies.
   That doesn’t sound terrible, although I believe that seniors pay hundreds of dollars in “senior dues,” so I’m not sure if any of that money offsets these expenses.
   But to a regular citizen this is an astounding amount of money. I wish we knew what other districts of similar size paid for their graduation.
9. John Doe | April 9, 2018 at 3:20 PM |

   Graduation approaches and my seniors dread their own ceremony. They know that their favorite teachers and their friends in lower grades are barred from attending by the asinine schedule placing all graduates in overcrowded downtown Atlanta on the same date during the normal school and work day. They resent the expense when they and their friends are struggling to cover upcoming college expenses. They resent the fact that some of their fellow seniors will be entirely absent from their own graduation ceremony because of the prohibitive cost of senior dues.
   The crass suggestion that the county must either hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars to the GWCC or hold graduation ceremonies on religious affiliated property is a false dichotomy. The county owns multiple sports stadiums that could host three or four graduation ceremonies per day at a far lower cost and with less travel time and hassle for families. DCSS prefers to embroil itself in the march toward privatized, for-profit schools and the destruction of our public education system. May they remember their own role in undermining our schools when weeping and crying that Pearson or Edison has eliminated their jobs and refuses to hire them for any existing positions.
10. John Doe | April 9, 2018 at 3:30 PM |

    In the last several years, our family has traveled to other counties around the metro area and in middle Georgia to attend the graduation ceremonies of friends and relatives. Our seniors are scheduled to graduate on a Monday! Not one person among our extended family will be able to attend. Several Aunts would like to know why DCSS parents aren’t rocking the central office on its foundation. I don’t know what to tell them except I guess not enough parents care enough about their kids to raise hell.
11. Stan Jester | April 9, 2018 at 5:00 PM |

    I would like to see the community decide whether to have it at GWCC or their local sports stadium.
12. Just Wondering | April 9, 2018 at 7:14 PM |

    “The county owns multiple sports stadiums that could host three or four graduation ceremonies per day at a far lower cost and with less travel time and hassle for families.”
    Yes, this is a far more cost-effective option, but comes with the threat of rain. When I was the senior class sponsor years ago, it rained ONE TIME in all my years, and I was crucified for it (as if I had any control over the weather). Yes, our back up location was much smaller and yes, families had to limit themselves to 4 guests for the indoor location. But, imho, high school graduations have gotten way out of control. Have your immediate family come to the actual ceremony and everyone else can join you at home for a party and private celebration. Schools could utilize the smaller venues if graduates weren’t allowed to invite every single person they’ve ever met.
    Bottom line is, you will never please everyone.
13. John Hope | April 11, 2018 at 7:51 AM |

    John Doe, do you realize that the school district now live streams the graduations? This makes the ceremonies available for those who cannot travel thus making them available to an even larger audience. This seems to be a good compromise. I found it on the school website at: http://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/grad-central-station/. I wonder if other area school districts offer this to extended families of graduates.
    It is a shame that DeKalb does not have public, indoor facilities large enough to accommodate graduations. In fairness, I guess you would need to point the finger at the taxpayers for not saying this should be done for the county. It seems all neighboring counties have a Civic Center type of facility to host graduations and generate revenue for other functions. Since it seems we can no longer hold graduations in mega churches, that would be an alternative.
    Just wondering said it best, you will never please everyone.
14. Dunwoody Diva | May 6, 2018 at 3:41 PM |

    Just got a Senior update e-mail from Dunwoody HS.
    There are ONLY 4 Wheelchairs available for use during the ceremony per GWCC.
    What a fiasco.
    I guess the two relatives that are flying in will need to get there early to “grab” 1/2 of the wheelchairs:(
    I could rent my own and bring them but if we had it somewhere closer to Dunwoody we wouldn’t need wheelchairs.
15. Stan Jester | May 6, 2018 at 3:50 PM |

    It’s BYOWC … bring your own wheel chair. I wasn’t aware of a shortage last year.