Petition: Remove UMBC and DAR as graduation locations for 2025

[Anonymous]

What is DAR?
Is it only the rich schools that get this? DC's is on site but very limited number of tickets and it's horrible. They shorten it to the minimum beacause no one can sit there that long

[Anonymous]

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/graduation/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/?id=3351

Rockville graduated at Strathmore—first thing that popped up when I googled.

I still think graduating at the actual HS is best. Do it in the evening when it’s cooler outside. Stream it.

MCPS TV provides streams in better quality, but the biggest downside is that they only provide those for the graduations held at DAR, so UMBC or MSM (Mount St. Mary’s) graduations are going to be out of luck.

I know NFHS streamed graduations for the graduations at the school stadium (Blair and Damascus), and the quality was pretty good for those too.

Nonsense. My kid's high school graduation at UMBC in June 2024 was live-streamed.

Yes, but MCPS-TV has better quality livestreams for graduations. It’s only limited to DAR graduations and not UMBC however, so the quality of the stream really depends on the school itself if your kids graduation is at UMBC or MSM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is DAR?
Is it only the rich schools that get this? DC's is on site but very limited number of tickets and it's horrible. They shorten it to the minimum beacause no one can sit there that long

DAR doesn’t even apply to that. Some of the worst performing schools in the county like WM or Kennedy held the graduations at DAR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many whiners out there. My goodness. Get over yourself.

Seriously. Its one day. Just deal with it. I'm sure there is a reason why they selected those two venues. Its not like they dont know that MC, UMCP and Strathmore exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many whiners out there. My goodness. Get over yourself.

Seriously. Its one day. Just deal with it. I'm sure there is a reason why they selected those two venues. Its not like they dont know that MC, UMCP and Strathmore exist.

Unfortunately, this is what DCUM is meant for nowadays..

[Anonymous]

Nope. Did UMBC for my 2023 grad. I know the ropes now and I’m looking forward to it for my 2025 grad. I love a free parking lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Did UMBC for my 2023 grad. I know the ropes now and I’m looking forward to it for my 2025 grad. I love a free parking lot.

The only pro that UMBC provides, aside from the capacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many whiners out there. My goodness. Get over yourself.

This. It’s ridiculous. Don’t like the venue? Don’t go.
Or just shut up and celebrate your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve still seen many arguments about the MCPS graduations being held at either DAR or UMBC (mostly UMBC), and I think that the best option that most of the high schools can have the graduation is at the MC campuses since it is an easier distance to travel there and there is still more capacity.

I have a kid who is graduating next year and I assume that his graduation will be at DAR (considering Whitman’s graduation was at DAR this year.), and he is dreaded about DAR based on the experiences that some of the previous seniors have gone through.

Our HS had a vote among parents and students (and perhaps teachers--not sure). So it seems that the school has a say in the location--it's not mandated by MCPS. Your best bet is to lobby among the PTA or other parent group to influence your own HS's decision, not to try to impose your personal preferences on every family in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is DAR?
Is it only the rich schools that get this? DC's is on site but very limited number of tickets and it's horrible. They shorten it to the minimum beacause no one can sit there that long

DAR doesn’t even apply to that. Some of the worst performing schools in the county like WM or Kennedy held the graduations at DAR.

Its the smaller schools that use it. The bigger schools can not fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve still seen many arguments about the MCPS graduations being held at either DAR or UMBC (mostly UMBC), and I think that the best option that most of the high schools can have the graduation is at the MC campuses since it is an easier distance to travel there and there is still more capacity.

I have a kid who is graduating next year and I assume that his graduation will be at DAR (considering Whitman’s graduation was at DAR this year.), and he is dreaded about DAR based on the experiences that some of the previous seniors have gone through.

Do you even know if that is a possibility? Due to scheduling or cost?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many whiners out there. My goodness. Get over yourself.

This. It’s ridiculous. Don’t like the venue? Don’t go.
Or just shut up and celebrate your kid.

It's a lovely venue too and little traffic getting in and an easy walk. It's one day. So many continuing issues that people just sweep under the rug but they will complain about this. It looks like a college graduation the place is so beautiful. And the acoustics and seating all great. I simply don't understand.

[Anonymous]

OP has titled this thread as a petition and yet, despite my asking, there's no evidence of a petition being started or plans to start one. So again, what is the point of this thread? Just to keep complaining about dissatisfaction with the two graduation venues MCPS uses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Did UMBC for my 2023 grad. I know the ropes now and I’m looking forward to it for my 2025 grad. I love a free parking lot.

The only pro that UMBC provides, aside from the capacity.

If I had to list the three biggest factors for a venue for a high school graduation, they would be:

1. cost
2. seating capacity
3. parking/transportation

I'm guessing that 85% of the fuss about UMBC is that a certain part of the DCUM demographic perceives UMBC as a low-prestige university.