LCPS moves graduation to Pan Am

The Las Cruces Public Schools announced last Friday that its graduation ceremonies will return to the Pan American Center on the New Mexico State University campus next spring, saying the decision was based on feedback from graduating seniors and families.

The district moved graduation to its Field of Dreams athletic facility on Tashiro Drive in 2020, during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, when graduation was held as a drive-thru event. It stayed on district property, according to a news release, as a way to save costs. After the Class of 2024 voted “overwhelmingly” to hold the ceremony at the Pan Am, the district yielded and said it would seek to recoup some of the costs of renting the facility through sponsorships. LCPS also said it had negotiated a lower rate with the university.

The ceremonies will proceed at previously dates and times, as follows:

• May 23: Arrowhead Park Early College High School, 9 a.m.
• May 23: Organ Mountain High School, 6 p.m.
• May 24: Rio Grande Preparatory Institute, 9 a.m.
• May 24: Las Cruces High School, 6 p.m.
• May 25: Mayfield High School, 9 a.m.
• May 25: Centennial High School, 6 p.m.