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Important graduation information for May 14

March 14, 2024

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Broken Arrow High School’s senior class will celebrate their graduation at Broken Arrow High School’s Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14. The makeup dates are May 15 or May 16 if there is inclement weather. Project Graduation will take place Tuesday, May 14, regardless of weather. 

The following is important information about the 2024 BAHS graduation for Broken Arrow students, parents and patrons.

Ticket Information

To keep from exceeding stadium capacity, each graduate can now have up to eight guests. Families can get their free tickets via a link that will be available mid April. Tickets can be shared or transferred by email or text.

Stadium gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Please have your tickets viewable when you arrive at the gate.

• Seating will be available on the home side and visitor’s side. Seating is first come, first served. Guests are asked to be in their seats by 6:45 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start time.

• Graduates should report to their designated area at the high school no later than 5 p.m.

• Water and concessions will be available for patrons to purchase. Water will be provided to students.

• The only bags permitted in facilities are those that are clear and smaller than 12"x6"x12". Exceptions are made for individuals with medical conditions and diaper bags with an accompanying child. (See graphic for more details.)

• Items that could be considered a distraction to the graduation ceremony such as inflatables or noise makers are not allowed inside Memorial Stadium. There will be a security check of bags and personal belongings as patrons enter.

• Those not able to attend the ceremony can view the event live online via ArrowVision.tv or the district’s YouTube channel.

Requirements for Participation in Graduation Ceremony

Students who need more than 1 unit (2 credits) for graduation shall NOT be permitted to participate in graduation exercises. This includes the current courses in which the student is enrolled. BAHS ineligibility report on the first Thursday of May will be used to determine if a student is currently passing all required courses to meet the graduation ceremony participation requirements of 1 unit (2 credits) remaining.

Information for Graduates

PARKING: Seniors are highly encouraged to park at Vanguard and take advantage of the graduate shuttle service to and from BAHS. Parking at Vanguard will give seniors the opportunity to avoid the traffic leaving the high school campus after the ceremony.

In an effort to help with traffic control, a portion of County Line will be closed from 4 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. on May 14. The shuttle service will have access to the closed road on County Line, providing seniors faster access to their vehicle after the ceremony and allowing them to avoid any major traffic that may occur as patrons are trying to exit the main high school campus. Parking at Vanguard is limited on a first-come, first-served basis, and seniors are encouraged to carpool, if possible. Shuttle service is provided to graduates only. 

Handicapped parking is available with a valid permit in the parking lot behind the home stands. General parking is limited, and carpooling is encouraged when feasible.

Appropriate Dress for Graduates

Graduates should bring all parts of their graduation attire (stole, honor stoles, etc.) including their mortarboard WITHOUT decorations and their tassel on May 14. Graduates must follow the school dress code underneath their graduation gown.Sandals are permitted, but wearing heels is discouraged as it will be difficult to walk on the football field turf. 

Graduates may only wear hoods, stoles, cords, pins or medals that were earned while they were a student at Broken Arrow and were presented to them by a recognized curricular club or organization at Broken Arrow, Tulsa Technology Center, Tulsa Community College, other higher education school, or Broken Arrow Public Schools. 

Pre-Approved Stoles/Cords

Stole Colors:

• Blue Stole - National Honor Society Stole
• Grey Stole – Vanguard, Virtual, Early College High School and Options Academy
• Gold Stole - Class of Distinction (Top 3%)
• Silver Stole – Tulsa Technology National Honor Society
• White Stole - Top 10%

Cord Colors:

• Blue Cord – Dual Credit to College Degree
• Red and Gold Cord - Tiger Challenge Service Award
• Red, White and Blue Cord – Military Enlistment
• White Cord – College, Career, Life Ready

Per BAPS secondary handbook (revised and Board of Education approved April 15, 2024), special circumstances such as cultural clothing must be approved by a principal. Any student graduate at any Broken Arrow High School campus who wishes to represent their tribal, religious or ethnic heritage during the ceremony must follow the below approval process. 

• Complete and submit this application (one of the items is a picture of the requested regalia) 

• If requesting to wear Native American regalia, the Indian Education Coordinator, will schedule time to meet with students. The Indian Education Coordinator will inform the student in writing of approval status.

• If requesting to wear something OTHER than Native American regalia, the high school principal will schedule a time to meet with students to discuss the request.

• Site principal will inform the student in writing of approval status.

Please refer to the Graduation Regalia Standards and Regulations for more information.

How to Wear Graduation Regalia

• Wear your mortarboard (cap) so the point is in the front, about one inch above the eyebrows. It should be level and not slanted, and your tassel should be placed on the right side.

• Gold BA Stole should be worn so that the BA is in the center of your chest. The seams should be atop your shoulders on both sides. It should hang evenly in the back. This should be put on first before any other stoles or cords.

• National Honor Society Stole (light blue) should be worn on top of your Gold BA stole.

• Academic Honor Stoles (Top 3% and 10%) should be worn with the two sides parallel to each other and both sides should fall evenly down the outside of your gown. These should be worn on top of your NHS Stole, or if you have no NHS stole, they should be worn on top of your BA Gold Stole.

• Tiger Challenge and Technical Honor Society stole should be worn on top of all of the above.

• Honor Cords should fall evenly on both sides down the outside of your gown. Pin the cord in place with a safety pin in the back at right below the neckline to ensure that it doesn’t slip or fall off.

Graduation Ceremony Staging Areas and Seating

Updated information will be added soon.

Photography

Candid Color Photography will be taking photos at the graduation ceremony. If you had your photo taken on March 27 or 28, you have already pre-registered. If you did not have your photo taken on either of those dates, please register here. Graduates will need to be sure to upload a clear selfie by midnight on May 12. The selfie will only be used for facial recognition, and pre-registration will ensure that any photos taken of you at graduation are sent directly to your email or phone. 

Post Ceremony Celebration

Project Graduation will be held after the graduation ceremony on May 14 at Broken Arrow High School. Students must participate in the graduation ceremony and be wearing their graduation wristband to attend. They will be excused from school on Wednesday, May 15. Admission will take place from 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the gym lobby, and students will be released at 2 a.m. Food and activities will be provided.

If you have questions or experience any issues, please contact Christian Welborn at cwelborn@baschools.org.