Oglethorpe County School System

What an incredible night to be a Patriot! The celebration of the Class of 2026 was simply incredible!

Thank you to our high school administration and counseling team, who had to pivot from our traditional graduation plans and create an entirely new experience in less than 48 hours.

Thank you to our incredible technology staff, who worked tirelessly to make sure everyone could watch and participate. They attended practice, learned new systems at the Classic Center, and handled every challenge all in stride. The livestream link is included below for anyone who would like to watch the ceremony. The beginning includes a tribute video that played as guests arrived. While the livestream did not capture the entire video, a separate link is also included. It features the 8th-grade tribute slideshow, senior photos, and highlights from Senior Day activities.

Thank you to Maurice Freeman, who once again photographed our graduates as they received their diplomas and has made those photos available free of charge. The link is included below. Please feel free to download, share, and enjoy them.

Thank you to our Communications Department (consisting of one very part-time person!) for handling all communications and producing the tribute video. Because of this work, our parents, staff, students, and community stayed informed every step of the way.

Thank you to the Classic Center, especially Holly, who helped with planning and stayed on top of every request. The staff at the Classic Center made the evening special by taking care of countless details behind the scenes.

Thank you to our Board of Education for your unwavering support. When I suggested moving graduation and exploring whether it was even possible, I received nothing but encouragement and, as always, offers of “How can we help?” This board continues to show up for our students, our staff, and our community.

To our parents and community—thank you for supporting the decision to move graduation. It wasn't the traditional ceremony many of us envisioned, and yes, for my final graduation, I also wanted to walk across Patriot Field one last time. But as the Rolling Stones and Mr. Sampson reminded us, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.”

There were a lot of moving parts to this graduation, and its success was truly a team effort. A HUGE thank you to everyone who played a role—big or small—in making this event such a memorable and successful celebration for the Class of 2026. Your hard work, flexibility, and dedication did not go unnoticed, and we are incredibly grateful for all you did to make the evening special for our students and families.

Finally, to our graduates—you showed up! You arrived at practice on time, listened well, and represented Oglethorpe County with pride. Because of you, graduation went off without a hitch and became a night we will never forget.

I have said it before, and I will say it again: We have the most amazing community.

Thank you, Oglethorpe County!
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Livestream Link: https://tinyurl.com/786w4cvf

Graduation Photos (courtesy of Maurice Freeman:
https://tinyurl.com/yfxcf8yd

Tribute Video: https://tinyurl.com/2z6hxyw2

For those interested in Special Education HomeSchool opportunities, a meeting is being held on Friday, May 29th at Central Office!

Due to the potential for bad weather on Friday night, OCHS graduation will take place at the Classic Center on Friday, May 22nd at 8:00 PM in the theatre. The doors will open at 6:30 pm. Seating is on a first come first serve basis. Everyone entering the theatre must have their own ticket, regardless of age. Students will be given tickets after graduation practice.

There are several options for parking in Athens for graduation. Parking at the Classic Center parking deck will be at a flat rate of $15.00 for event parking. The deck is located at the back of the Classic Center. Other deck parking (on Washington Street) will be at a rate of $2.00 per hour. There is also some metered parking on the street, at a cost of $3.00 per hour. We do not want anyone to be denied the chance to attend graduation. If you are not able to pay the parking fee, please call our central office (706-743-8128) for a parking permit.

The Classic Center does not allow air horns or balloons. If you plan to bring balloons, these need to be left outside or in your vehicle. Balloons may not be brought into the building.

The Classic Center will require all those entering to go through a weapons detection device. No food or drink may be brought into the facility.

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2026!

Update: Senior parents got information on ticket distribution, but as we are getting a lot of questions: Each graduate will be given 11 tickets after graduation practice.