Dear 2021 Graduates and the Peninsula School District Community,

The Peninsula School District is pleased to be able to host in-person graduation ceremonies for seniors in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today we are announcing some changes to the upcoming graduation ceremonies for Gig Harbor and Peninsula high schools.

Graduation Ceremony Date and Venue Change
Working in partnership with Tacoma Public Schools, the district will now host graduation ceremonies at Mount Tahoma Stadium in south Tacoma on Saturday, June 12. Peninsula High School’s ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. and Gig Harbor High School’s ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. 

The ceremonies had previously been scheduled to take place in the Tacoma Dome on Saturday, June 19, but the district determined the participant seating regulations were too restrictive for families. In addition, the outdoor setting at Mount Tahoma Stadium allows for each graduate to have six tickets for family and friends compared to a more limited number allowed inside the Tacoma Dome. Mount Tahoma Stadium seats 5,000 individuals.

All seating at the Mount Tahoma Stadium is outdoors. Seating for families and friends is located under cover on both sides of the stadium. Information about parking and other event details will be shared in the coming weeks.

Henderson Bay High School’s graduation ceremony will be held at the Sehmel Park Amphitheater at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 18. Dates, times, and locations of graduation ceremonies for the Community Transition program (CTP) and the Employment Training & Transition (ET&T) program will be shared soon.

Graduate Car Parades
We are excited that this provides an opportunity for a fun graduation weekend, with the formal ceremony on Saturday, June 12 and a car parade on Sunday, June 13. The Graduate Car Parades will take place along Harbor Hill Drive. Peninsula High School’s parade will take place at 1 p.m. and Gig Harbor High School’s parade will take place at 4 p.m. More details about parking and the parade route will be shared soon.

We apologize if this conflicts with any plans you’ve made, but we feel this is the best plan to honor our 2021 graduates and their families. More information about the graduation ceremonies will be communicated with graduates and families in the next few weeks.

Here are the dates and times for PSD senior activities:

Saturday, May 22:
7:00 p.m. PHS Senior Prom

Saturday, June 5: 
7:30 p.m. GHHS Senior Prom

Friday, June 11:
Last School Day for PSD seniors

Saturday, June 12:
10 a.m.  Peninsula High School Graduation Ceremony at Mount Tahoma Stadium
1 p.m.   Gig Harbor High School Graduation Ceremony at Mount Tahoma Stadium

Sunday, June 13:
1 p.m.  Peninsula High School Graduate Car Parade along Harbor Hill Drive
4 p.m.  Gig Harbor High School Graduate Car Parade along Harbor Hill Drive

Friday, June 18:
6 p.m.  Henderson Bay High School Graduation Ceremony at Sehmel Park

Thank you for your understanding and support of our 2021 graduating classes.

Sincerely,
Dan Gregory, Assistant Superintendent
John Hellwich, Assistant Superintendent