Senior Information
Dear Senior Class of 2025 and Parents:
Congratulations to the first senior class at Northwest High School! The students in the class of 2025 have provided excellent leadership during their time at Northwest. It is exciting to begin planning for your graduation ceremony. Some essential graduation information is included for your planning as graduation approaches.
Make sure you have marked your calendar for the ceremony on Saturday, May 24, at 12:00 p.m. at the Pinnacle Bank Arena, located at 400 Pinnacle Arena Dr. Graduating seniors must arrive at the Pinnacle Bank Arena no later than 11:00 A.M. to get seated and participate in the ceremony.
A high school graduation ceremony is a cherished tradition in our society, which recognizes the completion of a young person’s formative education. With this ceremony comes a high level of excitement and energy from graduates, relatives, and friends. The staff at Northwest High School shares in your joy and enthusiasm. We want this experience to be positive in every way. The graduation ceremony is important, and we want it to be one of your fondest memories from high school.
Although this is indeed an exciting event, it is a dignified and honorable event meant to recognize all graduates. Students are expected to be on their best behavior, as we ask that graduates and audience members refrain from using noise-makers, drums, and other items like confetti or beach balls. This is an important milestone in an academic career. The expectation is that everyone will avoid actions that cause disruption or distractions and represent themselves, their family, and Northwest in a manner that reflects the importance of the event. It is vital that every student’s name can be read without delay and that every parent and family member can hear their child’s name. Anyone who distracts from the ceremony may be removed. If seniors display inappropriate behavior, their diploma may be held until further notice.
The remainder of this letter provides you with important details of the upcoming ceremony and establishes clear expectations for finishing your K-12 career with great success. I look forward to seeing you all at commencement.
Sincerely,
Cedric Cooper
Principal, Northwest High School
Please be patient. We appreciate this opportunity to celebrate together, but some aspects will require patience. This works with the actual graduation ceremony and all the activities surrounding it. Friends and family who want those extra pictures, drivers who want to merge into your lane, students who take too long to get ready, and so forth. All will be well; this will be a great day.
Graduation Ceremony Exercises and Guests
Northwest’s Annual Commencement Ceremony will occur at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday, May 24, at 12:00 pm. All graduates will no later than 10:00 a.m., to find their assigned seating. Seating arrangements will be made for students with limited mobility. Please contact Kim Biven (kbiven@lps.org) or Duane Baack (dbaack@lps.org) for details if your student needs assistance or accommodations.
Parent/Guardian Commencement Reminders for Pinnacle Bank Arena
- Traffic will be busy and slow downtown and around the Pinnacle Bank Arena. Give yourself plenty of time to get to, park, and walk to the venue. Doors open one hour before the ceremony.
- Identify the best parking places and directors to those parking spaces (especially with those one-way streets and construction) before graduation day.
- Pinnacle Bank Arena is a CLEAR BAG POLICY venue. Clear bags and small clutch-sized purses are only allowed at entry. To view the clear bag policy, please visit this link. No balloons will be allowed.
- In addition, Pinnacle Bank Arena has informed us that walk-through metal detectors will be used at all entrances.
- Enter through the main entrance on the north side of Pinnacle Bank Arena and follow directions to seating. Only graduates will be seated on the floor. No one will be allowed near the stage to take pictures or on the floor where the graduates sit.
- After commencement, students will be directed to leave the arena through the front doors.
- Parents/guardians can meet graduates outside the south entrance following the ceremony.
- For parking information, please visit the LPS website regarding graduation (https://home.lps.org/graduation/).
Seating for Individuals with Disabilities
Seating for individuals with disabilities is available. Please contact Pinnacle Bank Arena or ask for assistance as you enter Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Audience Support Requested
While the graduation is a celebration, we ask that family members and other spectators respect the dignified nature of the graduation ceremony so it is possible to recognize all of the graduates, speakers, and performers. Horns or other items that might interrupt the graduation are prohibited. All students deserve to have their friends and family members hear their name as it is read. Students performing a song or delivering a speech deserve to be heard by everyone in the audience. Seniors who wish to refrain from abiding by dress and behavior expectations should not plan to attend the ceremony, which has always been optional.
Because of the seating and stage configuration at Pinnacle Bank Arena, parents or family members will not be allowed on the floor before. During or after the graduation ceremony. This includes being allowed access to the floor for photographs during the ceremony. Only graduates and faculty members are allowed on the floor during the ceremony.
Cameras and videos
Every year, Lifetouch takes graduation photos. They have provided the flier with the information for ordering pictures of your graduate from the ceremony. We also plan to have a large screen to project a live picture as each graduate crosses the stage. Because these professional pictures will be available for purchase, we hope family members can relax and enjoy the ceremony without worrying about taking pictures.
Requirements for Commencement Participation
Each year, decisions must be made about the status of seniors who are in danger of failing classes. If a senior is near failing or has work yet to complete, which affects the graduation requirements, the diploma insert will be withheld until the requirements are met. If the student can satisfactorily meet those requirements by the end of summer school, he/she will be allowed to participate in Commencement. However, if a student needs more than ten credits of required classes to graduate, it would be unlikely that the requirement can be met within the allotted time, and the student will not be allowed to participate. Students in the above situation should see their counselor as soon as possible.
Graduation Meeting/Rehearsal Advanced:
On Tuesday, May 20th, at approximately 9:15 am, seniors will participate in commencement rehearsal in the Performing Arts Center at Northwest. At this rehearsal, we will discuss protocol and expectations for the ceremony. Following the rehearsal, seniors will be expected to attend all classes.
Recommended and Required Dress for Graduation Ceremony
We strive to keep the graduation ceremony dignified and meaningful. We ask that students dress accordingly.
Required Graduation Ceremony Uniform
If you still need to order the cap and gown, please contact Nicole Schaefer (nschaefe@lps.org) or call 402-436-1314.
The graduation ceremony is a student activity, and, as with other student activities like basketball or chamber choir, it has a special uniform. The graduation ceremony uniform is the official mortar board (or cap) and gown that can be ordered from Signature Graduation. It is required for participation in graduation.
Every graduating senior has the opportunity to participate in the graduation ceremony according to the guidelines included below. It is a crucial capstone to your child’s academic career. However, just like any other student activity, it is considered an extracurricular event, so attending the graduation ceremony is not required for students to graduate and receive a diploma. If students do not wish to attend the ceremony, the diploma can be picked up at the school in the main office starting on the Tuesday following graduation. Information on this process is included below.
Distribution of Caps and Gowns
Caps and Gowns are being shipped to home addresses or will be distributed through the main office if shipped to the school. Seniors can still order a cap and gown by going to signaturegraduation.com. If shipped to the school, students can pick up their cap and gown on the 20th of May during the graduation practice.
Graduation regalia
A list of the district graduation day honors that the school may confer on students is listed below. Some honors include school-authorized regalia that can be worn at graduation. More information on the qualification, cost, and guidelines for wearing school-authorized regalia is included below. No other messages, personal items, jewelry, or adornments may be added to or worn on graduation cap or gown.
The cap and gown serve as the uniform for the graduation ceremony, so only school-authorized adornments can be worn during the ceremony. Students who bring personal items to the ceremony will be asked to leave them with family or a designated location at PBA during the ceremony, as they won’t be allowed to be worn on the mortarboard or gown during the ceremony.
Day of the Ceremony
- Graduating seniors may enter one of the main entrances and proceed to the stadium floor.
- Personal Items: Secured storage space is not available on the floor. Personal items are anything you would carry in your hands, over your shoulder, and/or under or outside of your cap or gown—basically, anything other than your cap and gown. These items may not be brought on the floor and should be left at home, in your car, or with a family member attending the ceremony.
- When students arrive, they will be directed to their seats on the main floor of PBA. Seats are arranged in alphabetical order from front to back. After the ceremony, students will recess out the back of the main floor toward the front entrance. Staff will be available to help guide and assist students.
- FREE parking is located north of PBA behind the Breslow Center. There are also RED, GREEN, and BLUE parking garages south of PBA
Diploma Information
- The actual diplomas are not presented to graduates on stage during the ceremony.
- Students will receive a graduation packet with their diplomas before they leave the arena.
- PLEASE DO NOT DISCARD THIS PACKET. It contains items which cannot be duplicated inside. Only one diploma is awarded to each graduate.
- Diplomas not received at the graduation ceremony may be picked up from Northwest in the Main Office.
To Receive a Diploma at Graduation
It is important that every senior verify that they have met all of their school obligations and paid any fines. Seniors with school items not previously returned (books, music, folders, equipment, etc.) must have those items returned and any fines or fees paid before graduation. Only those graduates who have fulfilled this requirement will receive their diploma at the graduation ceremony.
Graduates with items to return or fines to pay may pick up their diplomas in the Main Office in the student success center.
Parent reminder about additional graduation regalia
When ordering your child’s cap and gown, you may see opportunities to purchase additional adornments through vendors or online. Before purchasing any adornment for the graduation cap or gown, please ensure they are allowed. The cap and gown serve as the uniform for the graduation ceremony, so only school-authorized adornments can be worn during the ceremony. Any students who bring personal items to the ceremony will be asked to leave them with family or a designated location at PBA during the ceremony, as they won’t be allowed to be worn on the mortarboard or gown during the ceremony, and there isn’t a secured space for valuables on the floor of Pinnacle Bank Arena.
National Honor Society Stoles were previously delivered to Northwest and should have been picked up by your graduate, the cost is $25.00. If your graduate has not yet picked up their stole, please see Ms. Foreman in the main office. Honor Cords will be handed out to graduates at the senior meeting held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
District Regalia
Honor Cords, Tassel
- Summa Cum Laude: gold cord
- Magna Cum Laude: silver cord
- Cum Lude: white cord
District Community Graduation Incentive Program
- Native American Feather: eagle feather (a community group physically provides honor for LPS performance; District gives permission to display)
International and National Student Honor Organization Membership
- International Thespian Society: gold and blue honor medallions
- National Honor Society: white stole
Print-only honors are recognized with notations in the program but not worn as regalia
- AP Scholar
- International Baccalaureate Diploma
- National Merit Finalists
- President’s Education Awards Program
Graduation for the class of 2024–2025 will be held Saturday, May 24th 12:00 p.m. at Pinnacle bank arena. There are no tickets for this event. All seating is first come, first served. More information will be coming out as we get updated information so please watch for this.
Read the clear bag policy for Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Diplomas
Students attending the LNW graduation ceremony will receive a blank diploma cover when walking across the stage. Providing all requirements have been met, the diploma itself will be given to them in a white packet after they walk across the stage and make their way back to their seat. Students attending summer school will receive their diploma upon successful completion of summer school.
PLEASE DO NOT DISCARD THIS PACKET!! Not only does it contain the diploma, we have included the following:
- Diploma
- Immunization record (please keep for future reference)
- Counseling folder
- Honor awards previously not picked up
- Final Transcript Request form
- Graduation ceremony program
Only 1 diploma is given to the graduate and cannot be duplicated. If the diploma is lost, the grad can request a Final Transcript which will have the graduation date listed.
Digital Solutions Photos
Digital Solutions will be present at graduation and will take a picture of each graduate after they walk across the stage. Instructions on ordering your graduate’s photo will be posted at graduation and will be available in your student’s diploma packet.
Required Graduation Ceremony Uniform
The graduation ceremony is a student activity, and, like other student activities, it requires a special uniform. The official ceremony uniform is the mortar board (or cap) and gown that must be ordered from Signature Graduation (click for link). This is required for participation in graduation.
Students who qualify for the Free/Reduced Meals Program are eligible for a cap and gown fee waiver. To receive the fee waiver, you must submit the online 2024-25 Application for Fee Waiver & Sharing Information Consent Form and choose to apply the fee waiver to “Graduation.” If you use the fee waiver option, you will be contacted for order details, and the school will place your cap and gown order – DO NOT ORDER THIS ON YOUR OWN. Families may purchase additional items, such as graduation announcements, from the Signature Graduation website at their own expense.
Distribution of Caps and Gowns
If ordered independently, your cap and gown will be shipped to your home address. If you use the fee waiver option, your cap and gown will be shipped to the school and will be available for pick up during the graduation practice in May.
Submit your photos to the LPS Yearbook site (https://home.lps.org/english/yearbook/). The deadline for submissions is October 31st, 2024.
Graduates who require a “Final Transcript” to add to their records or for employment or post-secondary school applications must complete a “Request for Transcript” form. Final transcripts with GPA will be available after June 2, 2025.
A Final Transcript is a transcript that has a student’s date of graduation listed. The student must request a Final Transcript be sent to the institution they will be attending. Sending a transcript to a college during a student’s final year that does not have a grad date does not fulfill the college’s requirement of a Final Transcript. Many colleges will put a hold on future registration and/or financial aid if they do not receive a Final Transcript. Athletes are also reminded to request a Final Transcript for NCAA or NAIA—they, too, require a Final Transcript.
Google Drive
Seniors and anyone else leaving the district, if you want to hang on to anything you have stored in your LPS Google Drive, you must do so before your last day of school. There are directions for how to do that posted below.
Learn How to Transfer Your Data
Lunch Accounts
If you have a graduating senior, or are leaving the LPS school district, you may fill out the Student Meal Account Refund or Balance Transfer form to request a refund or balance transfer.
Immunization Records
Immunization records for graduating students will be placed in their graduation packets. Please keep them in a safe place for future reference. It is also recommended that senior parents and seniors go into ParentVue or StudentVue and print several copies of their immunizations before graduation as seniors will need this for future use…college admission, employment, etc. Once seniors graduate they will not be able to print their immunizations.
January 21st — Senior graduation meeting
Time: Falcon Focus Time 9:40 – 10:10 a.m.
Place: Performing Arts Center (PAC)
May 20th — Senior showcase lunch & graduation meeting
Time: 9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Place: Performing Arts Center (PAC)
Caps, gowns, and diploma covers are at school. If you still need to order your cab and gown, you must do so ASAP. Please see Mrs. Schaefer if you still need to order Graduation Cap and Gown F/R Order.