LHS to be first school to host commencement in the outdoor stadium
By Sarah Hall
Editor
On Saturday, June 16, several hundred Liverpool High School graduates will be bestowed with an honor—not just their diplomas, but the honor of being the first class of high school seniors to celebrate their commencement at the Lakeview Amphitheater.
The Liverpool Central School District announced last week that it would hold its graduation ceremonies at the amphitheater after hosting it for many years at the Onondaga County War Memorial. LCSD Superintendent Dr. Mark Potter said the district began considering the move a couple of years ago after watching the facility decline.
“Over the past handful of years — perhaps five or so — we have been seeing a diminishing quality experience at the Onondaga County War Memorial, just simply due to the age of the building, lack of updated infrastructure, and realistically, as the hockey team is more successful in their post season’s quest for a hockey championship, the ice rink remains intact well into June compromising our facility experience,” Potter said. “We have had many parents (over the years) ask us to consider looking elsewhere for a more fitting graduation experience.”
Potter said the district has looked around the county for a facility big enough for Liverpool’s graduating class. He said Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena had limited availability, and there are few other large enough places in Onondaga County. So he reached out to County Executive Joanne Mahoney to ask about the availability of the Amphitheater during graduation season.
“Given the facility is scheduled through Live Nation, we had to wait until February for our request — and our requested priority dates — to be considered,” Potter said. “This does complicate the typical schedule and notification process, since we are normally confirmed early in the fall.”
It also creates other headaches in terms of parking, handicapped accessibility and seating, but Potter said he’s excited nonetheless.
“This will take an abundant amount of planning ahead of time,” he said. “We have decided to give this opportunity a try and see what issues or obstacles we encounter. Everywhere there are other similar facilities [such as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs] schools use these facilities as their graduation venues with great success. We are very excited about the opportunity.”
Plans regarding tickets, parking and accessibility will be finalized over the next few months; updates will be posted on the Liverpool High School website and sent out via SchoolMessenger. Commencement is set to begin at 5 p.m. June 16.
