Years ago, Huntley High School moved its graduation ceremony to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
In 2015, however, that may change.
At Thursday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, board members expressed concern regarding holding the graduation ceremony at the Sears Centre Arena.
Superintendent John Burkey presented the graduation date for the class of 2015. But the board was shocked at the presentation by Dr. Burkey.
District 158 from the beginning did want to graduate at HHS. Seniors continued to graduate until the graduating classes continued to grow. Seniors could no longer fit in the gymnasiums provided by the school. Soon HHS would not stop growing, and they were forced to think of a new location which would be the Sears Centre Arena.
The cost to rent the Sears Centre for graduation for the class of 2015 is $30,000. This cost is out of District 158’s budget, and a new location was thought by the board.
Willow Creek Community Church was the answer, even having an auditorium caught the board’s eyes for graduation.
With the cost of the Sears Centre having 7 ½ percent more income compared to last year, District 158 is on the wire on determining what they should do with the new graduation location. Should District 158 choose Willow Creek?
According to board member Kimberly Skaja, ticket costs do help the income to pay off the huge sum of money for District 158. To also pay off this huge sum of money, budget cuts are made by District 158 to Sears Centre Arena. This covers the majority of the cost to Sears Centre Arena every year.
But is District 158 ready to move locations?
The Board determined to give graduating seniors a memorable experience by moving to Sears Centre Arena, and they have done a great job ever since. This has been giving satisfaction to the board, graduating seniors, and their family members. The board knew this was the right choice, to have the graduation at Sears Center Arena as a final goodbye, and leave HHS as the place where all the memories were made.
There were other issues present, but this issue brought the most attention. The board agreed to hold this issue off until next meeting. Commentary from the crowd, other board members flooded the room at this issue.
The COW meeting closed session at 7:79 p.m, the board members left, knowing what their minds are set upon for the next meeting. Only time could tell what would be the leading factor to either be the Sears Centre Arena or Willow Creek Community Church.