MHS graduation moving to Saturday?

McCOOK, Neb. -- Plans are gaining steam for next year's McCook High School graduation being on a Saturday instead of a Sunday.

Talk of a Saturday graduation first surfaced among the McCook School Board at its February meeting, because of Senior Celebration typically held on graduation night. That event is attended by many underclassmen who are guests of seniors and who fail to attend Monday's classes due to the night-long celebration. Other considerations included travel time for out-of-towners coming to receptions and graduation. No action was taken concerning graduation at February's meeting.

The board tackled the subject again at its regular meeting Monday night when discussing draft 1 of the 2015-16 school calendar.

Two drafts were presented to the board last month by Superintendent Grant Norgaard. On Monday night, the board took draft 1 up for vote, after board member Teresa Thomas made a motion, seconded by Loretta Hauxwell. This calendar has shorter Christmas break, beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 23, with the draft 2 starting Christmas break on Monday, Dec. 21.

Board member Bob Elder said he's heard from parents and teachers who were in favor of a Saturday graduation and asked if Saturday, May 7, was a possibility. Superintendent Grant Nor­­gaard said according to McCook Schools athletic director Darin Nichols, May 7 is the conference meet for tennis but that Nichols would be attending a meeting concerning that and the date may be changed.

Board member Hauxwell said she wanted to make sure that date, or any other date chosen, did not interfere with other activities so the board would "not run into issues we're not thinking about."

"Let's make sure we think this through all the consequences," she said, such as school graduations of area schools and availability of the Event Center at McCook Community College. That facility is already packed for high school graduation and she wondered if more would attend because of a Saturday date.

Board president Tom Bredvick said that the board could approve a calendar for next year without a graduation date, and set a date at April's meeting.

Before approving the 2015-16 calendar, the board then discussed the shorter versus longer Christmas break. Board member Diane Lyons said that 80 percent of teachers preferred draft 2, not just because it was a longer break but because there's not much teachers can do in a two-day week.

"It's hard to get any teaching done in that short amount of time," she said, with classes last year doing mostly caroling and Christmas activities those days.

Hauxwell disagreed. Whether its two days before Christmas break or summer vacation, motivated teachers with a well-thought out lesson plan always make it work.

"What we do is one thing, it's up to them to make sure every hour counts," she said of teachers, adding that part of student learning includes getting kids ready for the real world, when you're expected to work up to vacation time.

Bredvick also like the having the shorter Christmas break, as those two extra days children are in school means two more hot meals for kids qualifying for low or reduced lunches. Bredvick said poverty is a fact of life in public school and it impacts the quality of education as well as life.

By 5 to 1, the board approved draft 1 of 2015-16 school calendar, with the shorter Christmas break and no graduation date, with Lyons casting the dissenting vote. Board members will come back in April with a Saturday graduation date chosen.