Pasco County High School Graduations Begin Friday Night

LAND O' LAKES, FL — The long-awaited in-person graduations celebrating Pasco County Schools’ Class of 2020 start Friday night, with three outdoor graduations planned in high school stadiums.

At each ceremony, the graduates will be allowed to bring two guests, and each grouping of three (graduate and two guests) will be seated together on the field at a safe distance from other graduates and their guests.

The plan makes it possible for graduating seniors to experience the ceremony surrounded by classmates and family, and to be individually recognized while receiving their diploma.

After the regularly scheduled graduations in June were cancelled due to coronavirus health and safety concerns, graduates were honored with a virtual graduation in June on the same date and time that their graduation would have occurred. The virtual ceremonies included prerecorded speeches by their principals and selected classmates. After a rendition of "Pomp and Circumstance" recorded individually on Zoom by musicians from around the school district, the graduates were individually honored. Their pictures were shown as their names were called.

In an effort to also provide an in-person graduation, the school district rescheduled graduations at the Yuengling Center at a later date in August. However, due to safety concerns, the Yuengling Center was unable to accommodate those events.

The alternative is a series of in-person graduation ceremonies scheduled from July 17 through July 31, with most of the ceremonies taking place outdoors in the schools’ stadiums.

The new graduation dates and times are listed below:

Friday, July 17

• Fivay High School, 7:30 p.m., FHS Stadium
• Zephyrhills High School, 7:30 p.m., ZHS Stadium
• Wesley Chapel High School, 7:30 p.m., WCHS Stadium

Saturday, July 18

• Land O’Lakes High School, 8 p.m., LOLHS Stadium

Monday, July 20

• Pasco eSchool, 7:30 p.m., Crews Lake Middle School Cafeteria

Wednesday, July 22

• Sun Lake High School, 8:30 a.m., SLHS Stadium
• Wendell Krinn Technical High School, 6 p.m., WKTHS Gymnasium

Friday, July 24

• Cypress Creek High School, 7:30 p.m., CCHS Stadium
• JW Mitchell High School, 7:30 p.m., JWMHS Stadium
• Pasco High School, 7:30 p.m., PHS Stadium

Saturday, July 25

• Gulf High School, 9 a.m., JW Mitchell Stadium

Wednesday, July 29

• Marchman Technical College, 7:30 p.m., WKTHS Stadium

Friday, July 31

• River Ridge High School, 7:30 p.m., RRHS Stadium
• Anclote High School, 7:30 p.m., AHS Stadium
• Hudson High School, 7:30 p.m., HHS Stadium
• Wiregrass Ranch High School, 7:30 p.m., WRHS