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Tradition
prevails in Canton High seniors' bid to move graduation
By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff
As a parent
of three teenagers, School Committee member Paul Matthews is
used to making unpopular decisions.
But no
amount of parental training could have prepared him for Thursday
night, when he had to respectfully say ‘no’ to 70 members of the
class of 2008 who had descended on the School Committee meeting,
hoping to become the first Canton High School class to buck
tradition and graduate on the turf at Memorial Field.
 Throughout
much of the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st,
CHS seniors have walked across a stage that looks out onto
Washington Street, in front of what was once ‘Building A’ of the
high school and what is now the Marilyn G. Rodman Administration
Building. The only exceptions have been on years when it has
rained, in which case commencement ceremonies have been held
inside in the auditorium.
This year’s
seniors, however, led by class president Kevin Ward, were hoping
to start a new tradition — one that Ward insisted was not only
more practical, but also quite popular with many within the
community, including the graduates themselves, the Police
Department and even the “townies.”
“I want you
to know I am a big supporter of tradition,” Ward told the
committee. “I also am not a big fan of change. I can’t even
fathom that I have one day of high school left. I feel that in a
town like Canton you have to have tradition, but when it comes
to this issue I feel that the overwhelming improvements that
will come from moving graduation down to the field outweigh the
benefits of having the ceremony in the traditional space.”
Ward went on
to describe several advantages of the proposed move. He said
there would be greater parking and seating capacity, an improved
sound system, the use of a concession stand and restrooms, as
well as lights so that the last “ten to 15” students going up to
receive their diplomas would not be literally “left in the
dark.” He also said Police Chief Berkowitz was in favor of the
relocation as a way to “avoid shutting down Washington Street
and troubling everyone living from Pequit Street to Chapman
Street.”
Ward at
times even used humor in an effort to sway the School Committee
members, at one point responding to a question about women’s
high-heeled shoes damaging the turf by promising, “We’ll bring
extra pairs of flip flops.”
Ward’s
speech ultimately convinced members Robert Barker and Liz
Salisbury, but unfortunately for the hopeful seniors, no amount
of convincing appeared to be enough for Matthews or fellow
member Tim Brooks, both of whom have a child graduating this
year from CHS. Chairman Reuki Schutt, considered by Ward to be
the “swing vote” going in, also voted against the proposal.
In
attempting to explain his opposition, Matthews began by first
agreeing that the field would “probably be more orderly,
probably have better sound and probably be more comfortable.”
But, he said, in exchange for all of those improvements, it
would become “the generic high school graduation” and could
“just as easily be Canton, Ohio.”
Matthews
added that the site on Washington Street, aside from being
beautiful, is inviting by the very nature of where it is
located. He said lots of people consider the CHS graduation to
be the symbolic start of summer, and it means something to them
to drive by and see the stage being set up and the chairs being
placed. To tuck all of that down behind the school, he
explained, would rob the community — one that recently passed an
override — of their connection to this important event.
“The
graduation as I look at it is really a community event, an
opportunity for the town itself to really realize the fruits of
what they’ve invested in,” said Matthews.
“If we move
this whole process to the football field, we are going to lose a
lot of that,” he said.
May 29, 2008
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