Due to the surplus of snow days granted this year, the official graduation date for seniors has been pushed to June 15, 2025, a change from the traditional late May date. Officials on the Howard County Board of Education came to this conclusion after a unanimous board meeting in which they voted in favor of the new date.
This change affects all public high schools within Howard County (HOCO) and the official statement issued by the school board contains the new information and dates for every HOCO public highschool graduation date. The decision was made as a direct result of multiple snow days and inclement weather that caused significant disruptions to the academic schedule.
“This is not fair, I just wanna be done with high school and graduate. Is this why they took so long to announce our graduation dates? They should’ve given us way more notice, why did they tell us so last minute? This is going to mess up senior week plans and everyone’s summer vacation plans too now,” exclaimed senior Anjali Yadava.
Throughout the winter months, students in Howard County experienced an unprecedented number of snow days, which delayed students meeting the county’s instructional requirements and preparations for the multiple graduation ceremonies that were planned for late May at the Merriweather Post Pavilion.
“I was so happy with all the snow days because we had so many this year, and I thought it wasn’t supposed to affect seniors,” stated senior Sami Janakiraman.
Graduation was pushed back in order to make sure the school year ends as smoothly as possible and ensure AP tests and finals would not be disrupted.
Despite the outrage, school officials have remained firm on their decision. As frustration mounts, students have already started planning protests. Some are calling for a senior “snow-in,” where they plan to fill the school halls with fake snow to make up for lost days in reverse. Others have suggested creating an online petition on Change.org, demanding the return of their original graduation date.
“I made a petition and hopefully someone schedules a walkout or something like they did when they first implemented the phone ban. But I doubt they will listen to us and change it back,” added senior Sean Zissu.
On the flip side, many students are relieved by how the change lets them spend a bit more time in high school with their friends and teachers.
“I feel like it gives us more time to spend with our friends and bask in high school before everyone leaves off on their separate paths in college,” said senior Noah Journo.
As the new graduation date approaches in June, seniors are preparing to make the most of this extended school year. Despite all the snow days, the flexibility shown by the class of 2025 will make the event even more meaningful. Parents, teachers and students alike are now working together to plan memorable celebrations that reflect the resilience and unity of this class in the face of this schedule change.