After having their junior year cut short and facing senior year in the middle of a pandemic, the Klein High Class of 2021 can finally look forward to an in-person graduation at Klein Memorial Stadium. The graduation ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on June 4.

 After sending out a survey giving Klein families the option to choose between holding graduation at NRG or Klein Memorial, 75% of participants made their final decision for Klein Memorial to be the graduation venue. 

“Graduation being right next door is so convenient for our families,” Principal Brandon Baker said. “We are also more in control of what happens since it would be on Klein ISD property. I think there is so much upside to this decision.” 

With this decision, the Class of 2021 can feel more secure that their graduation will actually happen. The survey that was sent out noted that if Klein were to plan for graduation at NRG, there would be no guarantee that NRG won’t cancel on them again. After all, that is what happened with the Class of 2020. But now with this change of venue, there is much more planning to be done before the big day comes on June 4. 

“I just think that there are a lot of logistical details that need to be worked out,” Baker said. “We have housed graduation at NRG for so long. We really had that process down and had worked out the kinks in years past. We have some of the very best people working on it already, so I’m confident that we will make graduation a great experience for everyone involved.”

Seniors are definitely excited for this opportunity to finally walk across the stage and grab their diploma along with the rest of their peers.

“I was relieved when I first heard the news that graduation was happening,” senior Carla Lujan said. “It was like ‘oh my gosh, we’re having an actual graduation’ because personally, I thought it was going to be virtual like other districts are doing.”

The worry that graduation would be virtual has been widespread at Klein due to events like Homecoming and National Honor Society induction being canceled due to COVID. However, Klein is committed to upholding safety precautions such as social distancing in order to maintain a healthy environment for everyone involved, including for those who choose to stay home. 

“We will be live streaming the event and still call out the names of students that choose to stay home for graduation,” Baker said.  “We do plan on having the safety protocols that we have in place at school to ensure that we are having graduation in a way that makes our students and families as safe as possible. Ultimately our goal is to make the experience positive regardless of how you choose to participate.”

Every graduating senior is allowed to bring up to five family members with them to Klein Memorial. While this does affect seniors who may have big extended families that want to come to their graduation, the precaution is necessary to ensure that the stadium doesn’t become overcrowded.

“I really appreciate everything Klein is doing to make sure we all feel safe,” senior Isabella Spartz said. “I think it’d be nice to have one final chance to see some of my friends I haven’t seen in a long time since I’ve been an online student this year.”