Convent and Stuart Hall

Dr. Krejcarek speaks during the graduation of the class of 2023. The Convent graduates are wearing their traditional white dresses, continuing a custom that was also held for this year’s class.

At 3:00 p.m. today, the high school seniors of 2024 have their graduation ceremony, also known as Commencement, at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. This past senior week has been in preparation for as well as leading up to the completion of the seniors’ high school careers.

Commencement is a tradition that applies to the Sacred Heart community as a whole. Graduation and Commencement are considered to be two separate events; graduation is the students’ official completion as recorded in their transcripts, while Commencement is a ceremony celebrating this accomplishment.

“After being able to see some of what the seniors are getting to do, I’m feeling excited about the whole prospect of graduation,” sophomore Sterling Loretto said. “It’s kind of crazy how fast the school years pass, entering as a freshman, and now I’m almost a junior,”

Last night, Baccalaureate Mass took place at St. Mary’s Cathedral from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. No tickets were required, allowing easier access for those who wished to laud the seniors. The same cannot be said for Commencement, as the event is only available to those who have access to tickets.

Per yet another part of the Sacred Heart tradition, Convent seniors each wear their chosen white dresses. In addition, they are sent off with traditional blessings which are given as a transition from students into alumni.

“Honestly, I haven’t really thought about this week’s schedule change as much,” freshman Trinity Joa said. “It is kind of throwing me off, and feel like I just prefer the normal schedule,”

The graduation, as well as preparation for it, has affected this week’s class schedule. While Thursdays usually contain three long-block classes, today, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors were released early at 1:10 p.m. after finishing their second classes of the day.

“The schedule change this past week has been a bit complicated for me to figure out where exactly I’m going to be for class,” Loretto said. “But it was also kind of nice today because I had a resource in the morning, so I really only had one class today.”