Graduation Information

Help us celebrate our Oconomowoc High School seniors with #OconPride 2020!

The COVID-19 pandemic and school closures have significantly changed the senior experience for the class of 2020. Despite the challenges of the past few months, our senior class has so much to be proud of, and our community is ready to celebrate their individual and collective accomplishments!

Class of 2020 Commencement Ceremonies

Thursday, July 30 - Saturday, August 1, 2020
Oconomowoc High School Gale Douglas Field House

To comply with crowd-size capacity limitations, we ask families to sign up for one of 15 different ceremonies. There will be a maximum of 25 students allowed at each ceremony, and each student can bring up to 3 guests. The name of each guest must be provided during the registration process. We will offer the opportunity to request additional seats if there are unused seats available.  The ceremony will also be live-streamed for anyone to access from home. Times of our ceremonies are listed below.

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Ceremonies held at 5:00 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.

Friday, July 31, 2020

Ceremonies held at 5:00 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Morning ceremonies held at 8:00 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m.
Afternoon ceremonies held at 1:00 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m., and 6:00 p.m.

Ceremony Sign-Up Timeline

An email with the sign-up link will be sent out on July 20. Please note that we may end up reducing and combining ceremonies if more families choose not to participate than anticipated.

• Monday, July 20:  Commencement Ceremony registration opens for families to select a ceremony time. The sign up will be sent directly to parents not students.
  • Registration is first-come, first-served because each ceremony will be limited to 25 students. Look for an email with the sign-up link shortly after 8:00 a.m. on July 20th
  • Keep in mind that the Saturday morning ceremonies will likely be the most popular and fill up quickly.
• Thursday, July 23: final deadline to sign up for a ceremony time
• Tuesday, July 28: email confirmation of your ceremony time and confirmation if you receive an extra allotment of guest seats

Ceremony Location & Live-Stream

All ceremonies will take place in the air-conditioned Gale Douglas Field House because of the complexities of the setup, audio equipment, and live-stream cameras. This plan ensures that none of the events are delayed, postponed, or canceled due to inclement weather.

All ceremonies will be live-streamed and recorded for friends and family to watch from anywhere in the world! Click here to access the ceremony live-stream.

Commencement Ceremony Photos

Lifetouch will take photos at the Commencement Ceremony.  Please click this link to access the ceremony web page to view and purchase photos.

Safety Measures

Students and families are asked to arrive 20 minutes before their scheduled ceremony and enter through the Gale Douglas Field House entrance. Students should report directly to the Field House Lobby and will be given detailed instructions at that time. Also, we are asking families to follow these guidelines to ensure a safe event:

• All registered guests should arrive together and check-in when they arrive. We will have designated locations in the bleachers for your family to sit. These spaces will be at least 6 feet apart from other families.
• Our staff will be wearing masks. Although they are not required, we respectfully ask that everyone in attendance wear a mask.
• Please avoid hugging or handshaking any graduates after the ceremony.
• We anticipate that each ceremony will last about 50 minutes. We ask that you leave as soon as your ceremony is over so that we can clean and prepare for the next event. See below for details on photo opportunities around campus.
• The Field House will be cleaned in between each event.
• To limit crowd sizes and maximize the number of guests each student can bring, our faculty, band, and choir will not participate in this year’s ceremony.

Logistics and Reminders

• Graduates and all ceremony participants are expected to be in business casual attire.
• Students are welcome to decorate and personalize graduation caps. Designs must be submitted to me by email at CurtisJ@oasd.org by Wednesday, July 29. Designs should reflect a positive message or showcase your post-high-school plans. 
• Individuals entering the military are welcome to wear their uniforms instead of the traditional cap and gown. You are asked to confirm your desire to wear your uniform with your counselor by Wednesday, July 29.
• Sometimes students enrolled in an apprenticeship or working as first responders opt to wear helmets from their field. Students wishing to do this should notify their counselor by Wednesday, July 29.
• We realize many families want to take photos on the O in the middle of Rux Stadium. We will ensure that Rux Stadium is open for families to take pictures on:
• Thursday, July 30 (8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.)
• Friday, July 31 (8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.)
• Sunday, August 2 (8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.)
• A professional photographer, Lifetouch, will be taking photographs of each graduate as they receive their diploma cover. In addition, each student will have an individual professional photo taken when they arrive for the ceremony. The link to view and order pictures will also be available by clicking on the Graduation tab on the OHS homepage.
• Official diplomas will be mailed to the students on Thursday, July 30.