With the end of the school year right around the corner, Park is abuzz with the excitement of jumping right into summer. The end of the school year also means graduation time for Park seniors. Graduation is an event dedicated to honoring the time seniors spend at Park, therefore making it a very important night to plan. It’s a day that students have looked forward to since elementary school: the opportunity to grab their diploma and walk across the stage, marking their completion of 12 years of school.
Senior Abigail Erdmann said graduation is a time to think about all the achievements that students have made throughout their years at Park. According to her, it is also a time for seniors to spend time with their peers before graduating.
“I’m looking forward to a good time to celebrate with all of my friends and the accomplishments that we’ve had throughout our whole time at Park (since) kindergarten and all,” Erdman said. “Just celebrating friends and having a good time with them before I leave, like a last little hurrah.”
According to social studies teacher Emily Rennhak, teachers play a part in preparing students for graduation by ensuring that students are caught up on the requirements needed, such as final class credits and keeping high enough grades.
“There is quite a bit of collaboration between counselors, teachers and students in the final months before graduation, especially if students are needing to get their final credits in, or need to get their grades up to pass that last class to graduate,” Rennhak said. “A lot of the work we do is collaborative in making plans, like what needs to be done before the date to ensure that you’ve shown us knowledge and that you’re ready to move on.”
According to Lashley, the Park district strives to make sure that graduation reflects the diversity and inclusivity of the student body. She said Park tries to represent all of the student body through flags, pins and student voices with graduating students encouraged to showcase their involvement and achievements obtained throughout their years at Park.
“A few ways (to ensure graduation reflects Parks diversity) are with our flags, and then we also have clubs and student associations that can have different pins or cords,” Lashley said. “Just reflecting on all the different activities people are involved in and their achievements. We also, very explicitly, are having name readers that are native speakers, so that people’s names are pronounced correctly.”
According to Rennhak, teachers prepare for graduation by helping students recognize that the closing of the high school chapter only creates more opportunities for the future. She said she talks with students a lot about how every student has different, unique opportunities ahead of them and that a diploma only means new chances and possibilities for the future.
“I have this conversation with students, not infrequently, but one of the best pieces of advice I can give to students is just keep as many doors open for yourself as possible,” Rennhak said. “High school might not have been your jam. You might not be looking to go to a four-year college or a two-year college or even a trade school. Everybody’s path after (school) looks different, but you just have no idea what the future holds. To get that diploma to graduate high school is just a way of keeping more future doors open for yourself, no matter what you decide to do.”
Lashley said one way students are involved in the process of planning graduation is by making sure that student feedback is heard and implemented in the plan. According to her, last year students did not like how there were limited tickets for graduation, so they used that feedback to ensure that the 2026 graduation would be more accessible for students’ families.
“We understood that last year having to have a limited number of tickets really stressed people out,” Lashley said. “We understood that that was something people didn’t want to happen again. This was our way of hearing that feedback and having a compromise in what I believe is still a very accessible way, using what students are familiar with already, and they can send it to their guests with text which are Somali and Spanish. That was just a way of how families and their perspectives were involved and made a shift, but did it in a way that I believe is still going to be accessible to everyone.”
According to Erdmann, some things that she would change about graduation is how lengthy the whole process is. She said she is glad that this year, graduation will be held at the stadium, the homebase of where all Park students are graduating from.
“I look forward to actually being in the stadium this year and I’m a big fan of that,” Erdmann said. “I am glad it is not the same place as last year because I don’t really want to be graduating in Minneapolis because Park is where we go to school and where we have made all our memories.”
According to Rennhak, one of the most memorable things about graduation is the presence of all the people that are there to support the students’ graduation. She said the atmosphere full of people who care and show up for the Park students graduating is something very special.
“I love graduation at our home stadium,” Rennhak said. “Teachers sit on the field with students, and I just feel like it’s one of the most special times of the year to be sitting with students and look around and see, literal wall to wall, every seat in the house is filled. People are gathered around the fences and just knowing that, it’s not a ticketed event (up to 10 free tickets with the opportunity to request more), every single person who loves and supports that student can show up for them, and they are there for them. It’s really amazing to be part of that community and in the middle of it.”
