A highly unusual school year will conclude in an unorthodox location for New Trier High School.
On Sunday, May 30, about 1,000 members of the New Trier Class of 2021 will receive their diplomas under the famous columns at Soldier Field, ending a school year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have been working for months to offer the Class of 2021 some of the milestone experiences of senior year, including prom and graduation, while making sure we follow all safety precautions and state and city mandates,” said New Trier spokeswoman Nicole Dizon, in an email. “We are proud of this class and recognize the difficulty of spending an entire senior year following the restrictions put in place to protect our community amid a global pandemic. These milestone events are a chance for our seniors to gather together as a class and celebrate their accomplishments.”
The ceremony is set to run for two hours and will take place even if there is inclement weather, Dizon said. The school has allocated 4,000 tickets, with families receiving four tickets each.
Additional information posted on the school’s website indicates the ceremony is set to start at noon, with the stage on the north part of the field.
“Given the need to plan far in advance to provide venues, entertainment, and other considerations for events like prom and graduation, we made our decisions with the hope that the state would continue to open opportunities as cases of COVID-19 went down and vaccinations increased,” Dizon added. “We are thrilled that we can bring the entire Class of 2021 together at Soldier Field in a safe commencement ceremony that honors them and their achievements.”
Dizon noted school officials are still finalizing the ceremony’s speakers, with the alumni speaker likely to appear via video.
The ceremony will also be streamed live on the school’s website and on Facebook. However, there will not be a rehearsal this year.
In recent years, graduation ceremonies were held at either Welsh-Ryan Arena at Northwestern University or the Now Arena, formerly the Sears Centre, in Hoffman Estates. The school expects to return to the Now Arena in the future, Dizon said.
New Trier hosted its senior prom May 15 on a lawn of the Winnetka campus and about 500 students attended.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter.
