Henry County High School

HCHS Graduation Attire--Class of 2026

A commencement should be a memorable occasion. It should be DIGNIFIED and IMPRESSIVE. The commencement should leave the graduating student proud of his/her school and of his/her accomplishment; it should leave the audience glad to have attended the ceremony.

Men

Men should wear a white dress shirt (no polos), dark black or navy tie without a design (black or navy bow ties are allowed), dark black or navy dress slacks (NO JEANS), black socks and black dress shoes. It may be hot, so short-sleeved shirts may be desirable. No tennis shoes. No boots. No sandals.

Ladies

Ladies should wear dresses which will NOT show above the neckline or below the hemline of the gown and black dress shoes. Dresses do not have to be black, but patterns must not be seen through the gown. Rompers of any kind and strapless dresses are not allowed. Dresses must be no shorter than finger-tip length at the shortest hemline. We are giving some leeway here, so expect to change if you choose not to follow these expectations. Though you will have your graduation gown on during the ceremony, you will be in your assigned classroom waiting before the ceremony begins, sitting in desks and moving around. The length of dresses is chosen in part due to this, and students who choose not to comply will be required to change before being admitted into their classroom to wait. No flip flops or Chaco’s will be allowed. The shoes do not have to be closed-toe, but they must have at least a strap going around the back of the foot. If the shoes slip up and down and make a noise like a flip flop, they cannot be worn. Pointed heels may not be worn (due to the likelihood of puncturing the turf). Wedges are acceptable. The cork in the wedge is fine as long as the straps of the shoe are black. Think about how far you are going to walk, which also includes steps. If you aren’t comfortable wearing high heels, this can be a painful experience for you. Pearls and small earrings look very nice with your gown.

Everyone

Your graduation gown and distinction stole (if applicable) must be pressed before you come to the school on Graduation Day. Please be very careful when doing this; it will burn if done incorrectly. Our local dry cleaners will do this for you, for a fee. If you wait until the graduation ceremony, you may have squares (created by the cardboard insert) all over your gown.

Students should write their names inside their caps on the cardboard portion before graduation day. This will allow students to locate their own cap after the ceremony.

Necklaces may be worn. Additions to the cap or gown are not allowed. No Sunglasses.

The cap must be worn straight and level with the mortar board parallel with the floor. The tassel should brush the right temple. Please consider your hat when preparing your hair. Most people will need bobby pins to help secure their hat in the proper position.

Those who arrive for graduation dressed out of these requirements will be given the option to change using clothing we have on campus (if we have clothing to fit their needs) or they will be sent home to change. Students should arrive properly dressed.

If you have difficulty securing the proper attire for graduation, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Bullion (bullionb@henryk12.net) or Dr. M. Webb (webbm@henryk12.net), or call the school office (642-5232). The sooner, the better. Shoes, for instance, take longer to acquire, so please give us plenty of lead time.

Class of 2026: GRADUATION PROCEDURES HANDOUT

Class of 2026 Parents and Stakeholders,

Graduation is nearing, and we are excited to share this exciting event with you and your family! Graduation is scheduled for Friday, May 22nd, at 7:30 p.m. at HCHS Patriot Stadium.

GRADUATION WALKS:

As we near graduation, one of the highlights for students (and their former educators) is walking the halls of their former schools. Graduation Walks will be held on May 12th. Students should sign up for their desired Grad Walk location (Harrelson, Henry, Lakewood, or PSSD Schools) when the form opens on May 1st on the Class of 2026 Google Classroom page. All participating students will also walk the halls at Grove/HCHS. In order to board the bus, students must have a parent-signed permission slip and a thank you note to provide to a former educator. For Grad Walks, seniors can wear their gown over normal school attire. The cap should also be worn. Please DO NOT bring tassels (as they slide easily and often get lost during Grad Walks). More information will be shared with students closer to time.

GRADUATE TO DOs BEFORE THE DAY OF GRADUATION:

**Make sure all graduation attire is ready and ironed!

**Distinction stoles and Honors tassels will be sold on Thursday, May 7th, during lunches. These will also be available closer to graduation for any students who did not get them May 7th, especially for those who are waiting for confirmation of their met requirements.

**Make sure to update scholarship information through Google Forms to Mrs. Bullion no later than Monday, May 18th. This is the information that will be released to the media.

**Reminder: Attendance must remain 10 or less unexcused absences to be eligible to walk at graduation.

**Reminder: All cafeteria debt, library books, textbooks, Chromebooks, uniforms, etc., must be taken care of by the end of Wednesday, May 20th. Any student who owes anything to HCHS after this point will not receive their diploma on graduation night (as we have all diplomas situated for distribution after that point).

**Monday, May 18th, will be the last day of school for Seniors who are exempt from exams.

**Senior Final Exams will be held on May 19 (Periods 4, 5, and 6) and May 20 (Periods 1, 2, and 3).

**Reminder: All credits for graduation requirements must be met to walk at graduation and receive the diploma. Those who do not have graduation credits at the end of Wednesday, May 20th, will be required to attend summer school and will not be allowed to walk at graduation.

GRADUATES ON THE DAY OF GRADUATION:

Graduation Practice Schedule:

**8:15 am: Eligible graduates are to arrive on campus and check in at the gym. Regular school attire should be worn.

NOTE: In order to walk at graduation, students must attend graduation practice.

**From 8:15 am until approximately 11:30 am, the following activities will take place: Door Prizes (always lots of fun!), Graduation Instructions, Graduation walk-through.

NOTE: DO NOT wear your graduation attire to practice. Do NOT bring your cap and gown to practice. (We don’t want these to be messed up before the graduation ceremony.) Wear typical school-appropriate clothes to practice. It will likely be hot. Plan accordingly.

Arrival for Graduation:

**Graduates are to arrive appropriately dressed except for their caps and gowns. The gown should be carried in on a hanger and the cap in hand. The gown should be pressed/ironed and wrinkle-free upon arrival. Only academic regalia that is provided by the school (see list at bottom) is allowed and should also be pressed if needed.

**Full graduation attire information can be found on the Class of 2026 Google Classroom, in parent emails, and in a handout given to seniors. Should you need help securing appropriate clothing, please contact us immediately and we’ll be happy to help.

**Graduates are to park at either TCAT or in the tennis court parking lot closest to Wilson Street.

**Graduates are to arrive between 6:15-6:45 p.m.

**Graduates are to enter at the front entrance of the school.

**Upon entrance, graduates are to report to their assigned waiting classroom (to be told at graduation practice).

Graduates During the Ceremony:

**As they cross the stage, graduates will be presented their diploma covers as a picture is taken by The Paris Post-Intelligencer (available for purchase on their website after graduation). Graduates will then exit the stage and return to their seats.

**At the end of the ceremony, graduates will be led to move their tassels at one time and then will be led in the singing of the Alma Mater by the senior Madrigals.

**Graduates will have the opportunity to throw their caps at the end of the Alma Mater. Remaining caps will be collected by school personnel after the ceremony and taken to the school building. Caps can also be picked up at the office the following week.

NOTE: Prior to arrival, graduates should clearly write their name on the inside cardboard part of their caps for easier identification.

**After the ceremony ends, graduates are to return to the building quickly to retrieve their personal belongings and diplomas (in assigned room). They will enter at the E entrance.

**NOTE: No one other than graduates and school personnel will be permitted inside the school building, before or after the ceremony.

GUESTS ON THE DAY OF GRADUATION:

Guest Arrival:

**Guests may arrive no earlier than 5:30 pm.

**To make parking easier, guests should arrive in one vehicle if possible.

**No one will be allowed on campus to place or reserve seats, etc., prior to 3:30 pm. If anyone puts anything down to reserve seats prior to 3:30 pm, it will be removed.

**Entrance gates will be available at the main football ticket booth and behind the stadium.

**Areas available for parking: tennis court parking lot, the “strip” parking lot between the fieldhouse and band building, behind the stadium, the soccer/baseball/softball lot.

**A golf cart shuttle will run from the soccer/tennis court/”strip” parking lots for those who need assistance into the stadium.

Guest Seating:

**Seating will be available on the home and visitor sides of the stadium. Attendees may bring lawn chairs (no pointed bottoms) and sit in perimeter areas that are not blocked off. When claiming seating (whether in bleachers or in chairs), please keep your group as close together as possible to allow room for others.

Guests During the Ceremony:

**Restrooms will be available behind the stadium and at the Wellness Building.

**All guests are to be seated before the ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m.

**To allow for maximum visibility by all, guests are asked to remain at their seats during the ceremony unless going to/from the restroom. Children should not be allowed to roam freely.

**During the ceremony, please be mindful of noise levels so all may enjoy the ceremony and their graduate being recognized. Though held outside, the graduation ceremony is a formal event and should be attended in such a manner. We are excited to celebrate your child’s graduation with you, but everyone wants to hear their graduate’s name called. Please refrain from cheering until a time is given at the end of the ceremony to do so.

**NOTE: In the event of inclement weather, we would be more likely to delay the ceremony (by starting a bit later) rather than move inside. Should the event need to be moved indoors, a limited number of tickets will be given to each eligible graduate.

SPECTATORS AT HOME:

A Live Stream of the HCHS Graduation Ceremony will be available through HenryCountyNow.com. This information will be posted on our Facebook page as well. A person does not have to have a Facebook page to access our page. It can be found by going to Facebook and finding the page (Henry County High School -- Paris, Tennessee).

Note: Student Google accounts will expire at the end of May. Students should make sure to download anything they wish to keep.

Congratulations HCHS Class of 2026!