As announced by Head of School Bryn Roberts today, the 2018 Commencement will take place at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in downtown St. Paul. While typically held on the lawn (where the Schilling Center is currently under construction) or the Huss Center in case of rain, the new location represents change. The opening of Roberts’ statement reads:

“As we enter the final stretch of your students’ time with us at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, I want to update you on our plans for Commencement for the Class of 2018 on June 10. After hearing from many of you and a delegation of seniors, who expressed concern about the space limitations in the Huss Center, we have decided to hold Commencement this year at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Saint Paul.

The Ordway appealed to us for many reasons. As a Saint Paul landmark, it is a beautiful space with plenty of seating and a large reception area that will accommodate the post-Commencement celebration. As much as our community values and appreciates the Huss Center, we wanted to ensure we had sufficient seating to accommodate all the friends who are eager to watch the class of 2018 receive their diplomas. Using Lang Field as a Commencement venue was also considered, but our persistent concerns about the lack of shade, the unevenness of the field, and the always-present possibility of inclement weather make the Ordway our preferred choice for this year.”

Senior Rahul Dev, one of the seniors on the delegation, feels the change in location for the 2018 Commencement represents a much-needed alteration of how the graduation ceremony will be held. It also permits more family members and friends to attend graduation because they will fit in the auditorium, a longstanding issue as there is not an infinite amount of space on the front lawn or in Huss.

“We wanted to make it an inclusive event for people outside of the SPA community, especially family and friends from out of state,” Dev said.

In addition to Dev, US Principal Chris Hughes affirms that the choice to move to the Ordway was a result of persistent communication with the administration about accommodating varying numbers of family and friends.

“We heard from a lot of seniors and seniors parents that significant numbers of family members were coming, and we can’t fit that many in Huss. We’ve always used Huss as a rain location, but since we knew we would have such an uptick in numbers, we really needed a place that could fit everybody. It feels like a good location. It will fit everything we want to do for a graduation: a ceremony and a reception,” Hughes said.