Graduation is a moment made for the seniors and their families, to celebrate their accomplishments and look forward to the next chapter of their lives. Behind these seniors, however, are student groups and individuals who contribute to the ceremony. From organizing seniors to performing music to capturing memories, the ceremony would not be complete without these students.

Patriots Ambassadors played a major role in coordinating graduation. Dressed in red polos, these students volunteer their time toward school events, such as new student orientation, open house, arts performances and graduation.

For graduation, Ambassadors took on two roles. Liner-uppers were responsible for alphabetically organizing graduates, ensuring students wore their caps and gowns correctly and guiding students to the correct rows throughout both the processional and recessional. Other Ambassadors handled program distribution at the ceremony.

Graduation heads and juniors Sanaya Dixit and Shreya Tandon worked closely with teacher sponsors Barbara Silcox and Anne-Marie Steppling to coordinate the event. Beyond graduation day, they planned the rehearsal and trained Ambassadors.

This year presented special challenges because of the location change from the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Constitution Hall to University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Dixit and Tandon visited the venue beforehand to understand the layout and determine where graduates would enter and line up. Even with the planning, Ambassadors faced difficulties organizing seniors in a cramped space. “There was a lot of confusion about where exactly graduates would go. It was kind of cramped with how the whole area is set up,” Dixit said.

There were additional problems due to several seniors not attending the rehearsal day or sitting in the wrong seats. To combat this, Ambassadors had to reorganize graduate seating and adjust during the day of graduation. “I think one of the biggest challenges was that on the day of graduation rehearsal, a lot of people didn’t show up or they didn’t sit in the right spot,” Dixit said.

Music was another crucial part of the ceremony. The Acatonics performed the national anthem and the graduation song, “Spring Into Summer,” by Lizzy McAlpine. After practices, they ran through their performances in sound check. Sophomore a capella member Brandon Nolasco said the preparation that went into the performance made it easy to troubleshoot minor setbacks.

The wind ensemble also performed, playing traditional graduation pieces, such as “Pomp and Circumstance.” This group, along with a capella, Patriot Ambassadors and staff members took buses from the school to go to UMBC.

Other students created their own opportunities to participate in graduation. Junior Peace Tiam used her background in photography and her appreciation for the graduating seniors to establish her own role as an unofficial photographer for the ceremony. “I also love the Class of 2026,” Tiam said. “So, it’s kind of two of my favorite things combined.”

Although there were professional photographers present at the ceremony, Tiam said there was a more personal element to her taking pictures herself. “I also think there’s an element of closeness that you can get when you have a Google Drive from someone who goes to your school,” Tiam said. “I feel like photographers that are hired don’t always know what moments to capture and what the jokes mean.”

Graduation photographs will contribute to Tiam’s senior video, which she is preparing to release. In this project, she compiles clips of seniors reflecting on their K-12 experience to preserve memories of the graduates’ time in high school. Tiam said that graduation is a key aspect of her video, which further encouraged her to photograph the ceremony.

Though the graduates remain at the center of the ceremony, the efforts of those behind the scenes helped turn graduation into a meaningful celebration. Whether organizing hundreds of students, performing music or preserving memories through photographs, these contributors ensure that graduation is a memorable experience for everyone involved.