Will Oak Ridge High graduation be held Friday night, here's how to find out

Oak Ridge Schools has updated its contingency plan and communication process for deciding on whether to hold Oak Ridge High School's graduation Friday night in light of possible rain.

Oak Ridge High School graduation is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, May 17, with gates opening at 6 p.m. at Blankenship Field. With inclement weather in the forecast, school system officials have updated the contingency plan and communication process to ensure the safety and timely notification of the high school's families and Oak Ridge community.

Decision by 5 p.m. Friday

The decision of whether to postpone the graduation ceremony will be made by 5 p.m. Friday. That announcement will be made via text, phone call and email to all high school families through the district’s Skylert platform, according to a news release from Oak Ridge Schools. The announcement will also be posted to the district’s social media pages, website and shared as an email announcement to local media outlets, including The Oak Ridger, which would post the decision to its website, Facebook, and page on "X," formerly known as Twitter. The Oak Ridge Schools' webpage located at https://www.ortn.edu/graduation-class-of-2024/ will be updated with the most recent updates regarding the 2023-24 graduation ceremony.

If Friday’s graduation is cancelled due to weather, the ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 18, on Blankenship Field. Understanding that the current weather forecast for Saturday is not favorable, and to ensure an opportunity for as many loved ones and community members to attend as possible, Oak Ridge Schools has added Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m. at Blankenship Field as an additional rain date for the graduation ceremony.

The district will make every effort to hold the ceremony outside, as moving to our indoor location at Wildcat Arena significantly reduces capacity and would require limited ticketing of attendees, the release stated. Should the ceremony be forced indoors, an announcement would be made following the same process listed previously by no later than 7 a.m. Sunday, May 19. The indoor ceremony would take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19, and tickets would be required. No tickets are required for outdoor ceremonies

Graduation celebration will take place on Friday, May 17, rain or shine. Graduating seniors should report to the Oak Ridge Civic Center at 10 p.m. and board the buses to the Main Event at 11:30 p.m.

The graduation ceremony will be live streamed on Wildcat TV – to view, visit www.ortn.edu/wcat.

A summary of the backup plan

• Option 1: Outdoor – 7 p.m., Friday, May 17, 2024, Blankenship Field
• Option 2: Outdoor – 7 p.m., Saturday, May 18, 2024, Blankenship Field
• Option 3: Outdoor – 2 p.m., Sunday, May 19, 2024, Blankenship Field
• Option 4: Indoor – 2 p.m., Sunday, May 19, 2024, Wildcat Arena

How the notifications will go out:

• Skylert text, email and phone call to all high school families
• Oak Ridge Schools' Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
• Local media, including The Oak Ridger
• Oak Ridge Schools' digital signs.