Why are MCHS graduations held in DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://wmata.com/schedules/trip-planner/trip-planner-results.cfm?locationLatLng=38.9778882%2C-77.0074765&destinationLatLng=38.89395589999999%2C-77.04115790000003&location=Takoma+Park&destination=DAR+Constitution+Hall&travelby-trip-planner=CLR&arrdep-trip-planner=D&hour-leaving-trip-planner=4&minute-leaving-trip-planner=31&period-leaving-trip-planner=AM&month-leaving-trip-planner=6&day-leaving-trip-planner=12&route-trip-planner=T&walk-distance-trip-planner=.75

Metro says it is a 24 minute walk

I’m a teacher who rides Metro to graduation at DAR every year. I get off at Farragut North, and it’s a 12 minute walk when I make all the lights. Maybe 15 at the most when I have to wait a bit to cross streets.

+1 Use google maps and not the wmata thing. Dar isn’t so far

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://wmata.com/schedules/trip-planner/trip-planner-results.cfm?locationLatLng=38.9778882%2C-77.0074765&destinationLatLng=38.89395589999999%2C-77.04115790000003&location=Takoma+Park&destination=DAR+Constitution+Hall&travelby-trip-planner=CLR&arrdep-trip-planner=D&hour-leaving-trip-planner=4&minute-leaving-trip-planner=31&period-leaving-trip-planner=AM&month-leaving-trip-planner=6&day-leaving-trip-planner=12&route-trip-planner=T&walk-distance-trip-planner=.75

Metro says it is a 24 minute walk

I’ve done it many times to go to concerts and it’s 15 minutes tops for me, and I’m a slow walker. (And that includes waiting at red lights).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Strathmore seats ~2000 for a concert, which would barely accommodate 500 students plus 3 guests each. (Not enough...) Might work for a smaller school, but those are already using cheaper facilities.

That’s not taking into account at least 100 faculty that must attend. Graduation is all hands on deck. If you don’t have regalia, the County orders it for you. We walk in procession as well.

They do? That is very cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Metro says it is a 24 minute walk

That calculator is WAY off. Also, you used Farragut North; Farragut West is slightly closer to DAR. It's literally five city blocks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's worse is DAR is not within walking distance to a train station, so you are forced to drive.

it’s five blocks from Farragut West. What are you talking about?

+1. I work in an office building right near DAR, and it is definitely Metro-accessible. It's within blocks of the Metro.

My child goes to B-CC High School, and we like that the commencement is in downtown DC at DAR because DAR is a special venue.

I guess the up-county people aren't used to going down to the "big city" too much.

[Anonymous]

My kid's at Blair and I'm kind of sad it's too big a class to do DAR, which would feel special. Instead it's UMD for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's worse is DAR is not within walking distance to a train station, so you are forced to drive.

it’s five blocks from Farragut West. What are you talking about?

+1. I work in an office building right near DAR, and it is definitely Metro-accessible. It's within blocks of the Metro.

My child goes to B-CC High School, and we like that the commencement is in downtown DC at DAR because DAR is a special venue.

I guess the up-county people aren't used to going down to the "big city" too much.

The upcounty high schools mostly don't have graduation at DAR anyway. Clarksburg and Poolesville are at Mt. St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Damascus is at Damascus, Northwest is at Xfinity...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid's at Blair and I'm kind of sad it's too big a class to do DAR, which would feel special. Instead it's UMD for us.

I'll take UMD over DAR anytime.
So much easier and less stressful

[Anonymous]

I'm from a different state and ours were in the local state college's arena/basketball court. Surely there's a community college or state college with availability? And my graduating class was about 900 kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from a different state and ours were in the local state college's arena/basketball court. Surely there's a community college or state college with availability? And my graduating class was about 900 kids.

As noted, the larger schools do their graduations at UMD. The community college is Montgomery College and they don't have that kind of space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid's at Blair and I'm kind of sad it's too big a class to do DAR, which would feel special. Instead it's UMD for us.

I'll take UMD over DAR anytime.
So much easier and less stressful

Really? Driving to College Park is a nuisance. I'd rather take Metro to DAR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid's at Blair and I'm kind of sad it's too big a class to do DAR, which would feel special. Instead it's UMD for us.

I'll take UMD over DAR anytime.
So much easier and less stressful

Really? Driving to College Park is a nuisance. I'd rather take Metro to DAR.

How is driving to college park a nuisance?

[Anonymous]

I agree it is very weird for Montgomery County Maryland graduations to be held in downtown DC. I always assumed it was a space/size issue but reading that some high schools have switched to UMD makes me wonder why all don’t! Even National Harbor seems to make more sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree it is very weird for Montgomery County Maryland graduations to be held in downtown DC. I always assumed it was a space/size issue but reading that some high schools have switched to UMD makes me wonder why all don’t! Even National Harbor seems to make more sense.

What makes sense about National Harbor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's worse is DAR is not within walking distance to a train station, so you are forced to drive.

it’s five blocks from Farragut West. What are you talking about?

+1. I work in an office building right near DAR, and it is definitely Metro-accessible. It's within blocks of the Metro.

My child goes to B-CC High School, and we like that the commencement is in downtown DC at DAR because DAR is a special venue.

I guess the up-county people aren't used to going down to the "big city" too much.

Here comes the “my suburbia is cooler than your suburbia” police ... My kids are/were also at BCC and I just posted that UMD and Natl Harbor make more sense to me. And one of my kids graduated 3 years ago so yes I have been to a graduation at DAR.