Graduation? Again, Already?
Parents of Strath Haven High School’s Class of 2020 will get a say in whether graduation will be held at George L. King Field next year, instead of Neumann University or Villanova University, which between them have hosted Haven graduations since 2007. The plan, presented by SHHS Principal Dr. Kristopher Brown at Monday night’s Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board meeting, grew out of concerns that with growing class sizes, Neumann could become overcrowded.
Holding graduation at King Field would increase space available for guests and save money, but could subject spectators to rain and parking hazards. In case of rain the ceremony would be held the following morning; but if the rain did not abate, the district would be forced to hold graduation inside the gym, which in Dr. Brown’s words, “would not be ideal.” This would allow each graduate to have only two guests physically present for their graduation, with an additional 2-4 guests able to watch on a screen in the high school auditorium (and possibly the middle school auditorium). At last year’s graduation each graduate was allowed ten guests, a number which Neumann University can no longer sustain, but which could be comfortably accommodated either at King Field or Villanova — the latter at an increased cost and travel time.
At the conclusion of Dr. Brown’s presentation, the board asked him to send out a survey to all parents asking their preference: Neumann University, with fewer guests; Villanova, with accompanying traffic on I-476; or Strath Haven’s own King Field, with a chance of rain.
DCCC Proposal Gets to Yes
The board also voted 8-0 to approve a revised resolution favoring Delaware County Community College’s bid to acquire the old Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School building for a new campus in Drexel Hill. The revisions, meant to eliminate some of the confusion surrounding the resolution at previous meetings, removed sections which pertained to other entities, such as the DCCC board of trustees, and were therefore outside of the purview of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board. Dr. Robert Reiger, who is employed at the college, abstained.
