2013 Naugatuck High Graduation to be Held at Waterbury's Palace Theater [Poll]

For the first time in 52 years, 's graduation will not be held on school grounds in 2013.

In fact, it won’t even be held in Naugatuck.

The Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to move the June 13, 2013, commencement to The Palace Theater in Waterbury.

NHS graduation has been held at the school on Rubber Avenue every year since 1960, nine months after it opened to students. The ceremonies are held on Veterans’ Field, but next year’s ceremony must be moved as the school will be in the midst of a 30-month-long and $81 million high school renovation project. Part of the project includes replacing grass on Veterans' Field with artificial turf. That portion of the project will be ongoing in June.

Mayor Bob Mezzo originally wanted to research every possibility to keep the ceremony in the borough but, ultimately, school officials decided The Palace was the most suitable venue. 

“As a lifelong resident, there will always be a part of me that wishes we could graduate in Naugatuck,” Mezzo told Patch on Friday. “But the most important part of graduation is making sure it’s memorable for students and families of the graduating class. I believe Principal (Janice) Saam investigated all possibilities and came up with a well-thought-out plan as an alternative for a year.

“In the end, the reason we’re even talking about this is because a good thing is happening, and that’s the renovation of the high school.”

The Palace is a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization whose mission it is to "preserve and operate the historic Palace Theater as a performing arts center and community gathering place that provides a focal point for cultural activity and educational outreach for diverse audiences,” according to information on The Palace’s website.

The Palace seats 2,565 people and is located at 100 E. Main St., in Waterbury. It is about 7 miles from Naugatuck High School and about a 15 minute drive from the school on Rubber Avenue.

NHS is expected to graduate about 325 students next year.

Board of Education Chairman Dave Heller said The Palace was the only theater locally that could handle more than 300 graduates and their families.

He said there were discussions about holding the ceremony on the Naugatuck Green, but the cost in terms of hiring police officers to perform private duty jobs and trying to manage traffic “would be a nightmare."

“And if it rained, we would have nowhere else to go,” he said.

The Palace is going to cost $10,000 and that includes all police and personnel necessary for the ceremony. This year’s graduation ceremony at NHS cost between $5,000 and $6,000, Heller said.

While June 13 is supposed to be the final day of school, the graduation date could change if the school needs to make up snow days. Therefore, The Palace has given NHS a two-week window to hold the ceremony, Heller said.

Heller said he’s pleased with the way Saam handled the process of finding a new graduation venue.

Saam polled students and talked to parents and found that most people were enthusiastic about the Palace, Heller said.

Each student will get five tickets and nobody should be excluded from attending the ceremony, he said. Parking is readily available near the theater.

Heller said the seating plan is to sit students in the front orchestra section and have them walk across the stage and receive their diplomas in front of dignitaries. The audience will sit in the general seating area.

“This is a beautiful facility and it should work out well,” he said.