Tearful glances and hushed murmurs radiate through the hall. Tassels swing from caps as students’ heads swivel to spot a familiar face in the crowd. The air is hung with nostalgia and the somber sense of an unknown future. With every minute worth remembering, one’s high school graduation is a once-in-a-lifetime milestone that should be commemorated meaningfully.
As the school year begins to roll into a steady rhythm and the implications of being a senior become ever-present, determining the location of the Class of 2024’s graduation is a significant topic of discussion amongst the student body, family and staff. The Class of 2024 faces the choice of deciding whether graduation will be held at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Constitution Hall or the WCHS Shepherd Stadium. Though graduation will be memorable at either location, the DAR Constitution Hall is better suited to host graduation.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, DAR Hall was the default for where graduations were held. Still the monetary losses, in tandem with the health risks involved in being in a confined space at the time, have resulted in the past three graduations being held at WCHS. However, DAR Hall provides a far more pleasant experience for attendees because of access to amenities like air conditioning. Baking under the summer sun in formal wear and gowns drenched in sweat is not ideal for celebrating a milestone. Once voluminous hair, now flat and sticking to one’s sweaty forehead, detracts from the moment’s gravity.
The inherent magnitude of the event needing to be celebrated is another reason why DAR Hall is an optimal graduation location. Located at the heart of Washington D.C., the hall is near the national monuments. For many WCHS students, taking photos is an integral and crucial part of the graduation process, and the monuments are always a popular location. Immortalizing the occasion in one of the area’s most significant, historical, and scenic locations is an unmissable option that is taken advantage of every year. Hosting the graduation at DAR Hall makes taking photos even more convenient and accessible to the student body.
Though the location of DAR Hall itself is convenient in terms of proximity to other destinations for food, photos and other graduation celebrations, many advocates for hosting graduation at the WCHS football field argue that the Constitution hall is inconvenient since it requires more consideration for transportation. Parking and driving in Washington D.C. is notoriously grueling, and many are skeptical that navigating Washington D.C. on graduation day may be undue stress on such an important day. Luckily, the graduation planners have coordinated chartered buses to take families and graduates to the hall. This negates the need to worry about parking, driving, Metro and other complicated Washington D.C. transportation forms.
Ultimately, though the football field may feel closer to home in terms of sentiment and logistics, the DAR is the superior choice for a graduation location as it has a host of amenities, has ideal proximity for photos and food and accommodations allow for smooth travel. A high school graduation celebrates every hardship, victory, and mundane moment that brought one to where they are. It is a celebration of achievement, or perseverance, of new chapters and challenges. It deserves to be celebrated in a place as prestigious and optimal as DAR Hall.
