Senior Clearance

Senior Clearance on Thursday May 28 at 9:00 a.m.

• Complete all academic requirements and verify all credits. Contact your counselor with any questions.
• Clear all school debts.
• Return all laptops and chargers.

Graduation Practices

There will be mandatory graduation rehearsal following Senior Clearance  on Thursday May 28. There is another mandatory rehearsal on Friday, May 29 at 9:00 a.m. Both sessions are held in the auditorium.

Practice generally runs for two to two and a half hours and students should have their own transportation home immediately following practice as they are not allowed to remain in the building. Graduation practice will include a cap and gown class picture, so students should bring their caps and gowns to practice! Please note that for rehearsal practice, you can wear comfortable, everyday clothes.

Graduation Decorum

All students are required to wear their cap and gown ordered through Jostens. 

• PWCS Code of Behavior must be followed.
• No images or messages that are inappropriate, reference obscenities or profanity, gangs, drugs, alcohol, weapons, political, or of sexual nature. 
• Avoid divisive messages and language, no offensive or derogatory language.
• No lights. Nothing that makes sound.  
• Must be two-dimensional and no 3-D objects, items must be pressed down. 
• The decorations must stay flat on the cap with nothing hanging over, only on the cap parameter. 
• You may put a cardboard cover on the cap to decorate the cardboard rather than the actual cap.

All students should wear dress clothes (dresses, skirts, or dress slacks are acceptable). Dress shoes should also be worn. Keep in mind that you will be walking up a ramp and downstairs when choosing your shoes. Ties/Bow Ties are recommended.

• Document of Decorum 2026 PDF

Please do not bring purses, as they are not allowed by EagleBank Arena, or anything "extra" as you will not be able to carry them across the stage with you, and we will not have staff on hand to collect and keep the items during the ceremony.

Student Arrival and Departure

Student Arrival at Ceremony:
Mandatory arrival time for students is 6:00 p.m.,  at the Loading Dock of EagleBank Arena. Students who are late will not be able to participate in the ceremony.

• Buses will be provided to transport any member of the Class of 2026 from Unity Reed to EagleBank Arena. Please see Mrs. Nash by May 15, 2026 to reserve your seat on the bus. The attached parent permission form must be completed to reserve your seat on the bus. The bus will depart Unity Reed at 4:30 pm on June 2, 2025.
• Graduates should park as directed by EagleBank area staff and report to the lower East entrance at the loading dock between 5:45 and 6:00 pm.
• All graduates will be going through the security screening at the loading dock before entering EagleBank Arena. Only bring your phone and keys.
• The lower East entrance is for students only. All graduates should plan to meet their guests outside of the building after the ceremony near the North and West entrances. After the ceremony, graduates will recess directly from the arena floor to the concourse near the North and West entrances.

Student Departure Following Ceremony:
EagleBank Arena ushers and security will help direct the recessional of graduates to the outside North and West entry. This is where you can meet your graduate following the ceremony.

Family and Guest Arrival

Family members and guests may enter the arena beginning at 6:00 p.m. EagleBank staff will assist with entry and staff will be around the arena passing out programs.

For any assistance with handicapped seating, the arena staff will be on hand to assist.

No Balloons, Noisemakers, Selfie Sticks/Tripods, and Signs/Flags larger than 18”x18” are allowed inside EagleBank Arena.  

Please help us maintain a formal and solemn environment during the ceremony. Please remain seated, and do not call out over the student names as they are read over the public address system. 

EAGLEBANK ARENA SECURITY POLICY

ENTRY INSPECTIONS

• All guests and their belongings are subject to search prior to entry
• Staff will visually conduct bag and metal detection inspections to detect prohibited items to ensure the safety of all guests
• Any guest who declines to be searched or is in possession of prohibited items may be denied entry
• EagleBank Arena also recommends the following tips to help expedite entry into the venue: Guests are encouraged to arrive early
• Please follow staff directions of our event staff on which items need to be removed or divested prior to passing through magnetometers
• Guest who have health conditions which prohibit them from passing through magnetometers may flag an event supervisor for a manual screening

EagleBank Arena is encouraging guests to not bring a bag, in order to help enhance the contactless experience. If you require a bag for your personal belongings, EagleBank Arena has adopted a clear bag policy and must adhere to the following:

Clear Bag:

• Bag must be clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC with no obscured inside pockets
• Bag must not exceed 12”x12”x6”
• Bag may be 1-gallon plastic zip lock style bag Clutch Style Bag or Purse:
• Non-clear clutch style bag or purse must not exceed 5”x7”

Small Medical and/or Parenting Bags

• Will be permitted on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to increased security screening.

Prohibited items at EagleBank Arena include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Weapons (guns, knives, chains, spiked bracelets, brass knuckles, tasers, mace/pepper spray)
• Balloons
• Fireworks
• Cans, bottles, or coolers
• Glass or ceramic containers of any kind
• Outside food and beverages
• Metal or glass reusable water bottles
• Illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia
• Laser pointers/pens
• Monopods, tripods, selfie sticks or poles
• Noisemakers such as air horns, sirens, kazoos, whistles, drums, etc.
• Animals (Except service animals. Emotional support animals will not be permitted entry.)
• Luggage
• Silly string
• Wrapped gifts or packages
• Non-collapsible umbrellas
• Drones
• Skateboards, Rollerblades, and Hoverboards
• Un-approved pamphlets, handouts, ads, etc.

Unless otherwise specified by EagleBank Arena Management, guests are welcome to bring small signs, posters, and flags for events. Large banners are not permitted. The following guidelines apply:

• Sign, banner, poster or flag may not exceed 18”x18”
• Item must be related to the event
• Item may not be attached to a stick/pole
• Item may not obstruct any sponsor/building signage
• Item may not be attached, hung, taped, or draped over any part of the building
• Item may not contain or display obscene/offensive language and/or pictures, as determined by EagleBank Arena Management
• Item may not be constructed or displayed in a manner that may obstruct the view of other guests, interrupt the experience of other guests, or create a safety hazard
• Signs must be constructed of paper, fabric, or poster board materials
• Signs may NOT be constructed of or contain plastic, wood, metal, glass, or any material that can be used as a weapon
• Item may not be commercial or political in nature

Parking

Parking at EagleBank Arena can at times be very limited. Please ask your graduates to carpool when at all possible.

Any special parking needs or requests (bus parking, VIP’s, etc.) must be discussed in advance with EagleBank Arena management. Parking lot availability is constantly changing and may vary from school to school based on other events on campus, traffic patterns, road closures, construction, etc.

George Mason University Police and EagleBank Arena parking attendants will be on campus and in parking lots to help direct patrons to the closest available parking at the time of the ceremony.

Accessible Seating

If a family member comes into the building in a wheelchair (that they brought with them), and they need to remain in the wheelchair for the event, EagleBank Arena has available wheelchair seating in each corner of the concourse (Portal 4, 8, 13, and 17). This space is extremely limited and as such we ask that no more than one family member sit with them in the wheelchair area. It is available on a first come, first serve basis.

EagleBank Arena provides accessible seating for patrons who may have difficulty with steps. Approximately 400 accessible seats are reserved via signage for each graduation, and are available on a first-come, first-seated basis. When entering the building, patrons are level with row F, which is 12 rows from the floor. This row has no stairs to climb. All other seating in the building is up or down the stairs from this level, with railings in most locations. EagleBank Arena staff will place signs on rows E, F, and G, as a means of reserving them for those patrons who cannot negotiate stairs. We ask that only one family member sit with this person, as this seating is limited. The rest of the family can then usually find seating nearby in the section, a few rows above or below these concourse level rows.

EagleBank Arena does not rent out wheelchairs. There are a limited number of wheelchairs in-house which can be used to help transport patrons from the entrance to a seat but cannot be used by someone for the entire event. The main entries are wheelchair accessible; there are no steps or elevators to navigate. Accessible parking is available outside the South entry.

Tickets are not required for the ceremony, and there is no guest limit.

Various languages will be available through KUDO, and guests on-site can scan a QR code on their own device to access language interpretation.

KUDO Introduction

We are excited to announce that interpretation services will be offered during the graduation ceremonies in Spanish, Arabic, and Urdu.

What is KUDO?

KUDO is a tool that allows live language interpretation during large events such as graduations onsite or remotely.

How Does it Work?

You can access the interpretation on your mobile device, laptop, or desktop computer:

Using a Desktop/Laptop: Log in using the KUDO URL provided for the graduation ceremony.

• Click on this link: https://qrco.de/bgYlor
• Enter your Display Name and Email (any would work)
• Select your language
• Click on “JOIN” Send the link to relatives in the U.S. or abroad so they can watch in their language

Using a Mobile Device: Scan the KUDO QR code provided. Once logged in, select your preferred language from the drop-down menu.

• Connect to Eagle Bank’s Wi-Fi for optimal service
• Scan the QR code below
• Select your preferred language OR captions from the drop-down menu

Live Stream Information

Live stream of event
The link for the live stream of graduation will be on the school website, the day of the ceremony. Stream will go live 10 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.
Livestream Link 

Video Information

Memories Videography is also selling copies of the recorded ceremony.

A school status will be sent out 2 days after graduation with the link to purchase the graduation ceremony video and photos. Links will also be on the school website.

To purchase video:
Order URHS Grad Video 

Graduation Photos

Graduation photos will be available 72 hours AFTER graduation. If you have any questions, please email Victor O’Neill Studios at [email protected].

Graduating seniors will lose access to their PWCS Office 365 account by July 1, 2026. Students should forward any email messages that they want to retain from their PWCS mailbox to a personal email address.

If students are concerned about losing access to their PWCS email address because they used it for college applications, they may add an out of office reply stating that access to their PWCS email was suspended on July 1^st and include an alternative contact method such as a personal email address. Students should also make sure any important documents stored in their Microsoft OneDrive are saved locally on a personal device before July 1, 2026.

· Transition your files: A student's guide Microsoft

· Copying designs from one team to another in Canva

Graduating Seniors – Important information about Adobe Express (From Communications)

Student file transfer

Graduating students can move their assets from their district-managed account to a personal account when they graduate. They’ll need to create a free Adobe Express account with a personal email address to get started, then follow the steps at https://graduation.adobe.com/. Teachers leaving the district can also use this process.

We recommend that CTE and art students, especially consider moving their creations.