Graduation postponed until June 15

By: Sydney Sayre

The teacher strike disrupted the end-of-year plans for all students in West Virginia. Jackson County Board of Education reconvened Thursday, March 22 for a meeting to discuss the date of graduation after several complaints were filed over the number of days seniors were attending school.

Board member Dobby Jones said, “The complaints were getting out of hand, so we decided it was best to go back and discuss the situation.”

The end result—postponing graduation. After debate, graduation has been put off until Friday, June 15. Due to scheduled rain on the previous graduation date, they decided that ultimately it was the best decision.

The seniors will be released from school on June 1 to compensate for the week they missed from the teacher strike. Seniors will have a week off of school while the underclassmen continue until their last day, June 8.

Senior Brianna McCune said, “I think that the extra days are a great opportunity for the graduates to expand our learning abilities a little more before we go to college.”

The week prior to graduation will give the seniors full run of the high school as they practice for the ending ceremony. The annual King’s Island trip will take place during the week off, too. More practicing can be done and without any road blocks.

Assignments for the seniors will be due the same day as all other students, and any finals that need to be taken will be taken with everyone else. The seniors will have more time to get their work turned in. The extra week of school gives the students a little more time to get the education they need.

Senior Hunter Burdette said, “I think our education is important. It gets us ready for life outside of high school. This extra week will be good for us.”