Naugatuck High School Sets Graduation Date

Naugatuck High School's graduation for the Class of 2013 will be held at Waterbury's Palace Theater on June 24.

The graduation ceremony will be held at 8 p.m. 

Background

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 the ceremony must be moved this year as the school is undergoing 30-month-long and $81 million high school renovation project.

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 venue, located at 100 East Main St., Waterbury, seats 2,565 people. 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 this year.

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

He said NHS Prinicpal Jan Saam also said at that July meeting that she polled students and talked to parents. She found that most people were enthusiastic about the Palace.

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.