Class of 2005 might get a little wet as administrators try to
manage temporary venue
Gilroy – It’s been a year of firsts for Gilroy High School seniors. For the first time in 27 years, the graduating class should break 500 students. And for the first time, that graduating class will not hold its ceremony in Gilroy High School’s stadium, bumped to the practice fields while the installation of artificial turf continues. And for the first time, it may rain on graduation day.
Forecasters on Monday predicted a partly cloudy graduation day with a possibility of showers.
But a little drizzle will not change the school’s plans for the 4,000 people expected to attend the Class of 2005 graduation ceremony.
“There’s no plan B at this moment,” said Assistant Principal Greg Camacho-Light, who has been following the forecast. “It’s never been rained out that I can think of. My thought is that if rain is in the forecast, it will be very minimal.”
Camacho-Light’s only reservation involved the ability of a new sound system to handle heavier rain. He planned to speak today with technicians to learn if any problems could occur.
“Other than that, it’s a matter of being a little tolerant of a little weather,” he said.
In the meantime, plans to accommodate thousands of family and friends are moving along. This year, the school has 200 additional parking spots to offer guests, in part due to the availability of overflow parking by the Uvas Creek levee.
Police will be on hand to direct traffic at the entrance to the student parking lot off Princevalle Street, as well as at the Uvas levee parking site.
In past years, relatives and friends have arrived hours before the ceremony, but Camacho-Light urged attendees to hold off this year until at least 5pm. He said that should allow plenty of time to get situated for the two-and-a-half ceremony, which starts at 6pm.
As plans for Friday’s graduation fall into place, Camacho-Light thanked seniors for their patience throughout the year.
“The class of 2005 has been great,” Camacho-Light said. “They’ve had to endure a lot of construction. I’ve got to hand it to them. They’re the ones most affected and they’ve been real troopers.”
Read all about graduation in the Dispatch’s special section on Tuesday, June 21.
