Class of 2024!!!

[Gizmo74]

Our graduation was this past Saturday. I was hoping to post all of these great graduation pictures, but that just wasn't in the cards. We're one of six high schools in our district and one of five big enough to justify the use of NRG Stadium (NFL) for our ceremony. We were also the last of the five schools to go, so I had a ton of intel before it was go-time. The first school went Friday night, so that got the ball rolling on questions and concerns. Apparently, they were prohibiting a lot more than the items detailed in the parent prep sheets.

• Fairly early on Friday night, I found out that flowers were now on the banned list. Security was either throwing them away or sending people back to their cars. So we left those home.
• The bag policy shifted and my camera bag was now banned, so I started reforming my plan for brining lenses.
• Later on that evening, I also found out that stuff animals were prohibited. That also stayed home.
• Early the next morning, I saw someone turned away with binoculars. Which made me start wondering about cameras.
• I asked about camera gear on Saturday morning...which was never on the banned list and it went like this...
  • First I was told no professional gear.
  • When I asked for clarification, I got everything from vague to nothing with a lens more than 3".
  • Then, a few people shared their personal experiences and how some were OKd after thorough scrutiny while others were sent back to their cars with fairly small lenses.
  • I debated about trying to get my camera body in with a less obvious the 55-250 lens on it, but someone shared a pic of a smaller lens of theirs that was turned away.

I didn't want to chance having to leave my camera in the car, so I had to settle for my phone and some pics before leaving the house. I wound up taking more video and just making a montage. We suspect that the camera stuff was a combo of exaggerations of stadium rules mixed with the pro they hired to do "official" pics. It's unfortunate because it's the same photographer that took horrible senior pics back in the fall. So, we just had to settle for what we could.

This was just before we left. I wanted to do more, but we were rushing at this point and we just didn't have time for me to get the perfect shot. She was already in meltdown mode because she thought I ordered the wrong size for her gown and was upset that we didn't purchase a cap fitter.

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And this was our view. I opted to be off to the side vs. straight on with the cluster of kids because my gut said she would be entering through the curtains on this side...meaning she'd walk in front of us (which was still pretty far). My gut was right. The stage for the National Anthem singers was also on that side as well, so a slightly better view of her singing. We were also directly over the chute where she'd exit. It's just sad that my best view of the big moment was on a portable jumbotron kind of screen. She had no idea where we were seated (they weren't allowed to use phones to coordinate) and too many people were yelling and cheering, so it wasn't until the very end that she saw us in the crowd. I guess sitting over that chute wasn't a bad idea after all.

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We got there pretty early and there was drama about some things left home, but they let us in early due to the heat. So, 6:30 in the doors, 8pm ceremony start, and about 9pm out the doors. Whew!

Hard to believe we're moving on to the next phase. Part of me feels like she just started Kindergarten a couple of years ago. Congratulations to all of the graduates of the Class of 2024!!!!

Hi Neighbor! Congrats! We were at your graduation and also went to the first one for KHS at 9 AM. We had a different experience as I think it depends on what security line you went in. The 9 AM graduation they really searched folks but when we went back for KPark they hardly looked in my purse. I sat next to a few families that brought in noise makers and horns which was unfortunate. It was a long day watching my daughter and nephew graduate. Enjoyed both graduations and felt it was all well done. Just wish it was closer to home and didn't have to pay for parking.

 

[Rogue1677x]

I can't believe it but my one and only baby is graduating on June 8th.

My daughter has grown so much in so many ways and we couldn't be more proud of her. I know she's excited to be graduating and being out of school, for us it's just the realization that the little peanut in the NICU that was born what seems like yesterday, is now on to college in the fall.

We won't have empty nest emotions to deal with (yet) as she's going to a community college nearby.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Honestly, I think if a school has 750+ in a grade, it's time for another school. 500 seems huge to me. I just don't think large schools (like 750+) allow for enough kids to participate in extra curriculars. I'm going to ASSUME they have enough teachers to keep the classes around 20-25 kids/class max.

I'm so glad I was able to rent a 70-200 for my DSLR for graduation. Sure, we could have paid for the "official" pic, but not sure how many shots you actually get.

We have some massive public high schools in our metro area. I counted around 40 with student populations over 3,000, around 10 with student populations over 4,000, and one that's nearing 5,000. They are constantly building new schools, but our area keeps growing, so they can only do so much. While there are a lot of beefs about recent state interventions with some of the school districts, we don't hear a lot of issues about filling teacher vacancies. Student to teacher ratios in our district are decent. I think the worst out of the larger schools is 18:1. They're not the biggest school, but it's the worst performing school in the district and located in a less desirable area. The other 6As appear to be 17:1. We're a 5A and ours is 14:1. What's funny...our district has a small magnet school that's supposed to be a blend of high school and early college courses so that kids graduate with both a high school degree and associates degree. They have a total of 438 students in grades 9-12, but the student to teacher ratio is 20:1. As for extracurriculars, there are tons of options, but things can be pretty competitive in the popular areas. They try to open up more opportunities like freshman teams, dual JV teams, or different tiers for the various arts if something is popular and the coaches or directors are willing. Clubs are usually unlimited for membership and some are begging for members.

I'm jealous! I would have loved to be able to take pics. I will buy the official one if I LOVE it, but my hopes aren't high since his "special" yearbook cap and gown photo was garbage.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Hi Neighbor! Congrats! We were at your graduation and also went to the first one for KHS at 9 AM. We had a different experience as I think it depends on what security line you went in. The 9 AM graduation they really searched folks but when we went back for KPark they hardly looked in my purse. I sat next to a few families that brought in noise makers and horns which was unfortunate. It was a long day watching my daughter and nephew graduate. Enjoyed both graduations and felt it was all well done. Just wish it was closer to home and didn't have to pay for parking.

Small world!!! Summer Creek's graduation was on Friday night, so I was using their experiences as my gauge. It must have varied by security line. I had one of those little Lululemon fanny packs and they dug through every corner of that little thing. We heard the various noise makers, but were thankful that none were right near us. I was happy with the ceremony, but agreed on the distance and parking charge. I'm guessing you got to pay that twice since I saw "no re-entry" stamped on my ticket. I really felt for the senior girls on the KHS softball team. We went out to Katy on Friday night to watch them play and I know they got home late. Congrats to your daughter and nephew!!!

 

[AlohaNow]

Congratulations to all the graduates! Graduation was last Friday at noon. Our school district rents a local university’s hockey arena and churns out the six high schools’ ceremonies over two days. For years our school’s ceremony was always at 8am, but this year we were moved to the noon slot, which made everyone very happy! We had amazing weather for photos and it was just a beautiful day all around.

He let us know which section he would be seated in so we chose seats where we could spot him. He easily located us as they processed in, which was nice because at one point they had the students give a round of applause for the parents, so he immediately knew where to look for us and connect. There were lovely speeches and musical numbers interspersed between the groups receiving diplomas. When we found him after the ceremony I gave him the kukui nut lei that we presented him with on his first day of kindergarten in Hawaii. That night we asked him to invite some friends over for cutting his graduation cake, and we were thinking most would have family obligations. Nope – ten friends showed up! It was an impromptu blast that lasted for a few hours!

I truly felt that the day was a celebration of him and his friends. For me, his last day of school two weeks prior was my day for tears. At graduation I only teared up during Pomp and Circumstance, but I can tear up when I hear that in a radio ad!

 

[Kimkimba]

Graduation is June 7th and her party is June 8th. I couldn’t be more stressed cause we just listed our house for sale with an open house June 2nd. And we’re moving 1000 miles away to Florida.

My youngest (the graduate) has been cyber schooled since 2nd grade. Our graduation is about an hour away and I walk the stage with my daughter. I can’t believe I am finally done after 35 years (my oldest is 35 and youngest 17).

 

[mom2rtk]

We had an exciting graduation Thursday night. Ceremony supposed to start at 7:30, gates open at 6:30, parking lot open at 5:30. We get there at 5:30, get good parking, people are starting to line up at the gates. We look on radar and see a storm cell that appears will hit us around 615-630. We elect to stay in the car. At 630, they open the gate, and the storm cell still looks to be about 30-45 minutes away.

We get in line, and find seats (not the ones I really want, but do able. Stadium is filling up, a little after 7, the heavens open up complete with lightning (keep in mind everyone is in metal bleachers). At 725, the principal steps to the mic, says "we're going to postpone for 30 minutes, and start at 8:30." um, that math doesn't work, but whatever. Back to the cars we go. We see a number of cars drive off.

That allows DD and DSiL who were going to have to park ~a mile away and walk to drive up and park next to us. We keep texting with DD (who's in the gym with the other graduates) if they've been told anything, and "nope". The rain finally stops shortly after 8, we go back to the seats, and someone says they had announced they'll start at 9:30. Someone else says no, they said 8:30. We take our seats. About 9am, I finally get a One Call that was "worth it"... they announced the gates would open at 930 and the ceremony would start shortly after. Of course, we're already in our seats.

A little after 9, the sound crews goes out and raises speakers. You can see the pole here to the right of the photographer in the brown dress:
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I guessed, correctly, they would hand out the diplomas right behind that flower arrangement, so scrambled to find somewhere else to get pictures. It worked.

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Took 45 minutes to read the names of 526 graduates. Entire ceremony took about 90 minutes. They ended graduation with a fireworks show when the grads threw their caps. Yes, the fireworks went off at 11p on Thursday night.

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And with that, 21 years of having a child in the county school system is done.

And adding to the fun weekend, yesterday DS (middle child) proposed to his GF, now fiancée.

Great results Sam! That's a lot of curve balls at the last minute. That's the hardest part of the whole thing, anticipating all the unknowns and scrambling at the last minute. We got great seats at my daughter's college graduation last minute then realized as the ceremony started that the official photographer was going to stand directly between me and my shot. Of course. I had to scramble and move over a few seats when they actually called her name.

Love the fireworks. Definitely a nice touch. Congratulations to your grad!

 

[mom2rtk]

Our graduation was this past Saturday. I was hoping to post all of these great graduation pictures, but that just wasn't in the cards. We're one of six high schools in our district and one of five big enough to justify the use of NRG Stadium (NFL) for our ceremony. We were also the last of the five schools to go, so I had a ton of intel before it was go-time. The first school went Friday night, so that got the ball rolling on questions and concerns. Apparently, they were prohibiting a lot more than the items detailed in the parent prep sheets.

• Fairly early on Friday night, I found out that flowers were now on the banned list. Security was either throwing them away or sending people back to their cars. So we left those home.
• The bag policy shifted and my camera bag was now banned, so I started reforming my plan for brining lenses.
• Later on that evening, I also found out that stuff animals were prohibited. That also stayed home.
• Early the next morning, I saw someone turned away with binoculars. Which made me start wondering about cameras.
• I asked about camera gear on Saturday morning...which was never on the banned list and it went like this...
  • First I was told no professional gear.
  • When I asked for clarification, I got everything from vague to nothing with a lens more than 3".
  • Then, a few people shared their personal experiences and how some were OKd after thorough scrutiny while others were sent back to their cars with fairly small lenses.
  • I debated about trying to get my camera body in with a less obvious the 55-250 lens on it, but someone shared a pic of a smaller lens of theirs that was turned away.

I didn't want to chance having to leave my camera in the car, so I had to settle for my phone and some pics before leaving the house. I wound up taking more video and just making a montage. We suspect that the camera stuff was a combo of exaggerations of stadium rules mixed with the pro they hired to do "official" pics. It's unfortunate because it's the same photographer that took horrible senior pics back in the fall. So, we just had to settle for what we could.

This was just before we left. I wanted to do more, but we were rushing at this point and we just didn't have time for me to get the perfect shot. She was already in meltdown mode because she thought I ordered the wrong size for her gown and was upset that we didn't purchase a cap fitter.

View attachment 864158

And this was our view. I opted to be off to the side vs. straight on with the cluster of kids because my gut said she would be entering through the curtains on this side...meaning she'd walk in front of us (which was still pretty far). My gut was right. The stage for the National Anthem singers was also on that side as well, so a slightly better view of her singing. We were also directly over the chute where she'd exit. It's just sad that my best view of the big moment was on a portable jumbotron kind of screen. She had no idea where we were seated (they weren't allowed to use phones to coordinate) and too many people were yelling and cheering, so it wasn't until the very end that she saw us in the crowd. I guess sitting over that chute wasn't a bad idea after all.

View attachment 864160

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View attachment 864164View attachment 864165

We got there pretty early and there was drama about some things left home, but they let us in early due to the heat. So, 6:30 in the doors, 8pm ceremony start, and about 9pm out the doors. Whew!

Hard to believe we're moving on to the next phase. Part of me feels like she just started Kindergarten a couple of years ago. Congratulations to all of the graduates of the Class of 2024!!!!

UGH. The camera rules. At a graduation. That's awful. All the last minute questions and adjusting. Glad it went well otherwise. I'd be so disappointed. What on earth are they trying to prevent by limiting cameras?

It sounds very similar to me trying to figure out what I could take to see Disney on Ice a few years back. Drove me nuts that I couldn't get a straight answer. Even heard the no lenses more than 3" rule. In the end I always went with my older crop sensor body with a 50mm prime. I told my daughter it was my DSLR masquerading as a point and shoot. The last thing I wanted to do was hoof it back out to the car to stow an expensive camera.

I hope you get some good pro shots. We have had 3 high school and 3 college graduations since 2011. I haven't had a single pro ceremony shot that I really liked. I bought them anyway of course.

Congrats to your grad. I hope she has a great summer and college experience!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

UGH. The camera rules. At a graduation. That's awful. All the last minute questions and adjusting. Glad it went well otherwise. I'd be so disappointed. What on earth are they trying to prevent by limiting cameras?

It sounds very similar to me trying to figure out what I could take to see Disney on Ice a few years back. Drove me nuts that I couldn't get a straight answer. Even heard the no lenses more than 3" rule. In the end I always went with my older crop sensor body with a 50mm prime. I told my daughter it was my DSLR masquerading as a point and shoot. The last thing I wanted to do was hoof it back out to the car to stow an expensive camera.

I hope you get some good pro shots. We have had 3 high school and 3 college graduations since 2011. I haven't had a single pro ceremony shot that I really liked. I bought them anyway of course.

Congrats to your grad. I hope she has a great summer and college experience!

I suspect that it's the venue and nobody in a position of power within the district thought to question the logic of it for a graduation. There's all sorts of drama going on with the superintendent, so they probably have bigger issues on their minds. What's crazy is that I know I've taken my gear into the adjacent arena that's a part of the stadium complex. I think that arena even hosted several graduations.

I debated about doing something similar with my 50mm lens. I've had some pretty good luck with cropping and sharpness, but it wasn't worth risking having to put it all back in the car. It's not the priciest stuff, but it's not cheap either and we saw someone who spent an awfully suspicious long amount of time looking for her car that may have actually been looking for open cars.

The one pic he took wasn't nearly as bad as her yearbook pic (that showed twice on the pre-ceremony slideshow), but it's a bit dark, she's blurry compared to the guy handing her the diploma, and he didn't zoom in enough. I understand framing, but he was so far out that you either got other kids in your shots or a ton of black drapery. He must have also dipped the camera a tad for my daughter's shot because we also got some of the floral arrangements that were beneath the stage. I guess I should be grateful. Some of the other kids that only got one pic were in the process of turning towards the camera or their expression was in that awkward stage as they were shifting into a smile.

Thank you! Now for a summer of sports photography with the younger one and lots of dorm shopping for the grad

 

[mom2rtk]

I suspect that it's the venue and nobody in a position of power within the district thought to question the logic of it for a graduation. There's all sorts of drama going on with the superintendent, so they probably have bigger issues on their minds. What's crazy is that I know I've taken my gear into the adjacent arena that's a part of the stadium complex. I think that arena even hosted several graduations.

I debated about doing something similar with my 50mm lens. I've had some pretty good luck with cropping and sharpness, but it wasn't worth risking having to put it all back in the car. It's not the priciest stuff, but it's not cheap either and we saw someone who spent an awfully suspicious long amount of time looking for her car that may have actually been looking for open cars.

The one pic he took wasn't nearly as bad as her yearbook pic (that showed twice on the pre-ceremony slideshow), but it's a bit dark, she's blurry compared to the guy handing her the diploma, and he didn't zoom in enough. I understand framing, but he was so far out that you either got other kids in your shots or a ton of black drapery. He must have also dipped the camera a tad for my daughter's shot because we also got some of the floral arrangements that were beneath the stage. I guess I should be grateful. Some of the other kids that only got one pic were in the process of turning towards the camera or their expression was in that awkward stage as they were shifting into a smile.

Thank you! Now for a summer of sports photography with the younger one and lots of dorm shopping for the grad

I suspect you are right that nobody even thought much about it and that was the standard policy for the venue.

Enjoy your summer of sports photography and dorm shopping. I was so sad when our youth sports came to an end since that meant my sports photography days were over (well lots of other reasons too). And the dorm shopping is fun. A great distraction as you wait for the big life change coming your way.