Swampscott reaches deal on graduation ceremony

SWAMPSCOTT – A protest organized by high school students was canceled just hours before it was scheduled to start Wednesday.Students, parents and community members were upset the school planned to hold graduation in the field house so students scheduled the protest for 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning at the Town Hall monument. It was cancelled after Principal Lawrence Murphy agreed to hold commencement exercises in Blocksidge Field.Murphy, who said he had meetings with members of the senior class and staff members to pitch his idea of holding commencement in the high school, had a sense of humor over the controversy.”I made a sincere pitch,” he said. “I even showed a PowerPoint presentation, but they didn’t buy it. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not selling used cars.”Murphy said the students made it clear they wanted to hold commencement activities at Blocksidge Field.”After much discussion with the senior class, it became clear this particular class wanted to maintain tradition,” he said. “This class has been through a lot of changes and has done everything asked of them. In response to their request I decided to hold commencement at Blocksidge Field.”The original plan was to hold graduation exercises in the field house at the new high school and to televise it in the auditorium to accommodate everyone.Senior Caitlin Ernst, who was one of the organizers of the protest that never materialized, said more than 150 parents called the school and countless students spoke out against having the commencement ceremony in the field house.Ernst said there are several reasons the field house is unsuitable for graduation including the break with tradition.”Graduation has been held outside for over a decade,” she said. “The field can accommodate more people.”Ernst said a lot of students and parents believed the district was using commencement as another way to show the new school off to the community.”Graduation is about celebrating us and what we have accomplished,” she said. “It shouldn’t be about showing off the new building.”Murphy said he recommended using the field house because bathrooms are readily accessible and the building is air-conditioned with the exception of the field house.”My thought is if it got too hot people could go into other areas of the building to cool off for a few minutes,” he said. “If you’re in the sun in Blocksidge Field there is no place to go to escape the heat.”Murphy said he believes the field house is large enough to accommodate 1,000 people.”We could accommodate the overflow in the auditorium where the event would be televised,” he said.Ernst disagreed with Murphy on every point.”There is no air conditioning in the field house. It would be too hot to accommodate 1,000 people in the summer,” she said. “Watching it on TV is just not the same. We’re glad Mr. Murphy reconsidered and graduation is in Blocksidge Field.”