Over one-hundred and 30 seniors will be receiving their diplomas this Sunday during graduation ceremonies at the Beatrice High School. The 3 p-m ceremony will be held at the House of Orange at the request of this year’s senior class. High School principal Jason Sutter says he let it up to the students of the graduating class if they wanted graduation to be held in the O-Zone or outside on the football field.

"I met with the senior class officers 2 or 3 times. I talked to them and asked them to gather some feedback from their classmates. It was very much in favor of trying to do something outdoors. I am proud to say that we have listened to our students on that."

Last year, due to Covid-19 restrictions the graduation ceremony was held in the high school parking lot with parents and students sitting in cars. In the years prior to that, graduation was held in the high school gymnasium.

Sutter says this year’s ceremony will include two student speeches, a graduating message from a staff member, and comments from Sutter.

"On Sunday we will have the stage set up between the track and the football field. The students will be on chairs on the track. We won't do the normal where we bring in students from different doors and walk to the middle and walk down. We will just have a single file line of students."

Sutter says in case of rain, the ceremony will be moved into the high school. If a change is necessary, an a announcement could be made as early as late Saturday, but probably would wait until Sunday morning.

"If there is a need for some change and it looks like a chance of rain on Sunday, we will make that decision late Saturday afternoon or evening or Sunday morning. I don't want to get ahead of myself but I do think we have to have a Plan B which we would transition into the Hevelone Center because we would not have time to make alot of set-up in the gym. We would have the graduation ceremony in the Hevelone Center and we would live stream it onto the video board in the O-Zone".

Wednesday is the last day for B-H-S seniors. Sutter says following their morning classes the students will gather in the auxiliary gym for a senior lunch and go thru graduation practice in the afternoon A Baccalaureate ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday evening at 7pm in the Hevelone Center.