Graduation

Graduation will soon be here! Seniors must have accumulated the required 24 credits and have paid all fines to be eligible to participate in the commencement ceremony. All fines must be paid by May 23, 2025 to Mrs. McDaniel. HCHS will only accept CASH!

Credits required: 4 English, 4 Math, 3 Science, 3 Social Studies (U.S. History, Government and Economics, other SS), 1 Computer Science, 1 CTE or Foreign Language, 1 PE or JROTC, and 7 Electives.

Order your cap and gown at gradnow.com.

Cap and gowns should be worn at the Awards Day and Graduation Ceremonies ONLY! You need to come to each ceremony dressed.

Gowns can be steamed, but not ironed!

Only wear your blue tassel that came with the cap and gown to graduation, not your bling or memory tassel. Caps cannot be decorated and only academic stoles approved by the school may be worn.

Awards Day

May 27th ~ 9AM

HCHS Gymnasium

Seniors should arrive at 8:30 to line up.

Attire: Cap, gown, and other graduation attire. (see back for more details)

Senior Check Out Day

Graduation Practice

May 28th ~ 10 AM

HCHS Football Field

IT IS MANDATORY THAT ALL STUDENTS BE THERE AND ON TIME!

Seniors not participating in practice WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE for the graduation ceremony. We will walk through the entire ceremony during practice.

DO NOT wear your cap and gown to practice.

Students will receive graduation tickets at practice.

The Graduation Ceremony will take place Friday, May 29, 2026 at 6 PM. ALL GRADUATING SENIORS ARE TO REPORT TO ‘A HALL’ BY 5 PM.

The ceremony will begin promptly at 6 PM. All guests are asked to report to the football field before 5:50 PM.

If rain occurs, an announcement will be made via HCHS social media and ParentSquare. The Graduation Ceremony will be moved to the HCHS Gymnasium and each student will receive 5 ‘rainy day’ tickets.

Each graduate will receive 15 graduation tickets at practice.

All seniors who are eligible to participate in the ceremony are encouraged to take part in this event. Participation is not mandatory nor a condition for the completion of graduation requirements. Participation in the ceremony is a privilege. Commencement is the most formal activity of a student’s high school career, and it represents the school district’s public acknowledgment of high school completion. The cap and gown are formal educational attire, and students choosing to participate in commencement must dress appropriately. The attire worn under the commencement gown is as follows:

Males:

Black dress pants

White collar, button up shirt

Dark tie (preferably black)

Dark dress shoes

Females:

White dress

Black dress

Black dress pants or skirt

White blouse

Dress shoes (low heels, black, white, or neutral tones) No floppy sandals!

If you have any questions concerning dress code please contact a member of the graduation committee. If you are unsure about shoe height please bring them by the library and see Mrs. Long.

If you need assistance with purchasing graduation attire please let Mrs. Nelson or Mrs. Paul know as soon as possible.

No flowers or other adornments (other than those issued by the high school) are to be worn on the gown/cap or carried onto the field/in the gym.

Only graduation cords and stoles approved by HCHS are allowed to be worn at the Award’s Day and Graduation Ceremony (Cum Laude stoles, Honor cords, CTE completer cords, HCHS club stoles and cords, Emerging Scholars, etc.). If you have any questions please ask Mrs. Long.

Graduation Stoles

Summa Cum Laude– 4.25 GPA and higher

Magna Cum Laude– 4.0– 4.249 GPA

Cum Laude– 3.75– 3.99 GPA

Graduation Cords

Single Cord– 3.6-3.999

Double Cord– 4.0 and higher