The 2019 graduation of BUSD high school seniors on June 15 was a double celebration – of the students’ achievement and of the successful relocation of the graduation ceremony from its prior home at the UC Berkeley Greek Theatre to Haas Pavilion on the Cal campus.
The smooth transition was all the more remarkable since this year there was no rehearsal beforehand. The success owed much to careful planning and excellent staff coordination at the event.
“Things went extremely smoothly,” said Berkeley High Principal Erin Schweng. “We had plenty of room for everyone who wanted to come, with enough ADA access for those who needed it. Being inside kept us from the weather, as Berkeley in June can be either very hot or pretty cold and cloudy. The students and staff were amazing, getting the processional and recessional perfect without our usual opportunity the day before to practice. It was a lovely event.”
Accompanied by the traditional pomp and short speeches by selected students, this year’s ceremony saw 752 students graduating from Berkeley High, Berkeley Technology Academy and the Independent Study program. It ended with the awarding-of-diplomas as each senior was individually called upon the stage.
The Greek Theatre had hosted Berkeley’s high school graduation for the past half century, but a new venue had to be found this year for a variety of reasons including accessibility, seating capacity, security, and costs.
Below are a few photos from the event, followed by links to many more photos from before, during and after.
Many more photos by Mark Coplan on his Flickr account: