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Dear Franklin High School Class of 2025 Graduates, Staff, and Family Members,
I am pleased to share with you venue information about our graduation ceremony, scheduled for June 3, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
This year, Portland Public Schools has shifted to a new venue for the graduation ceremonies of ten of its eleven in-district high schools. This is a change from the last four years, where graduations were celebrated at Providence Park. We will now be using the Portland State University Viking Pavilion, 930 SW Hall Street, Portland, OR 97201.
There were many reasons for this change. First and foremost, with the easing of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, we are no longer required to hold large events in outdoor settings. Being able to move indoors at PSU gives us fewer potential problems with rain or heat. It also allows us to hold rehearsals for students, provides better and cheaper parking options, and allows us to seat our students in front of the stage during the graduation ceremonies, which was not an option at Providence Park. Finally, the cost savings for the district are substantial.
The only drawback with the PSU venue is that the capacity for the guests of students is more limited than that of Providence Park. PSU will work with each school to determine their seating needs. For schools with large graduating classes, PSU has agreed to open the nearby Smith Hall auditorium for overflow. Those not able to get tickets for the pavilion can watch graduation live from Smith Hall and then meet up with their graduates in the Park Blocks immediately following the ceremony.
Our new contract with PSU is for three years, so we will be planning to be there for the graduation ceremonies of the Classes of 2025, 2026, and 2027. Given that we already partner with the university in many other ways, we believe that this new arrangement will add positively to our collaborative work.
We will be sharing many more updates about graduation throughout the school year, so please stay tuned for those.
In Partnership,
Dr. Zulema Naegele, Principal