Graduation

  • Ceremony Date and Time:

     

    The Deerfield High School Graduation Commencement takes place on Thursday, May 29th at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. The ceremony starts promptly at 5:00 pm.

     

    The Ravinia property gates will open at 3:30 pm.

     

    Our ceremonies average 90 minutes in length. Families planning an event after the ceremony should plan to exit the property (after graduates are available after the recessional) around 7:00 pm.

     

    Ticket Information:

     

    Each graduate will automatically receive seven tickets (four per student if twins) to the ceremony. Graduates will not need their own tickets. Graduates receive their tickets at the graduation rehearsal earlier that morning, and these will include any extra tickets that may have been provided via lottery from among those not being used.

     

    Tickets allow for entry into the Ravinia property for non-graduates. All seating is general admission; tickets do not indicate a specific seat.

     

    Accessibility Accommodations:

     

    Handicapped parking. Handicapped parking uses Ravinia’s north lot located at Lambert Tree Avenue and Sheridan/Lincolnwood Road. Please use the following form to request access to that lot: Link to Handicapped Parking/Seating Request Form. Upon approval, we'll email a digital pass to the email address you provide. When arriving at the Ravinia gate, please present your digital pass along with your graduate's name to gain entry to the designated accessible parking area.

     

    Handicapped seating. Handicapped seating utilizes the box seats at the Ravinia pavilion. Please use the following form to request a pass to access seating in these locations: Link to Handicapped Parking/Seating Request Form. Please know that the boxes cannot accommodate more than a few family members to accompany the individual who requests this seat. Also, please know that passes for handicapped seating are used in conjunction with a ticket to the ceremony. As with the parking pass, these passes will be sent to the email address you provide.

     

    Graduate Information:

    We hold a required graduation rehearsal on the morning of the ceremony itself. Graduates should plan to arrive to Ravinia by 9:00am on Thursday, May 29th. The rehearsal will last approximately two and a half hours. There, you will receive your cap and gown, learn where you will line up prior to the ceremony, how you will receive your diploma, and how to march back out at the conclusion of the event.

     

    You will also receive your tickets at this time. We hand them to you when you practice receiving your diploma on stage and the Marshals practice reading aloud your names.

     

    Graduates receiving honors (i.e., Valedictorian, Salutatorian, Deerfield Scholars) are also announced for the first time at our rehearsal.

     

    For these reasons, it is important that all graduates planning to march at the ceremony attend the rehearsal that morning. 

     

    Graduates should plan to arrive to Ravinia by 4:00pm that afternoon. We will direct everyone to prepare for the processional (march in) for the ceremony at 4:45 pm. Again, we start the ceremony at 5:00pm sharp.

     

    The Ravinia pavilion is roofed and allows us to still hold our ceremony in inclement weather. We will have special lineup plans to keep you dry should the forecast look poor for that evening.

     

    Our tradition is that you all line up, march, sit, and approach the stage for diplomas in the Homerooms you have held for the past four years. Your Homeroom teachers will sit with you, and the entire faculty will be present as well to share in this celebration. We’re all there to help you know exactly where to go and what to do. There’s nothing all that difficult, but, again, the rehearsal is where you will learn all of these parts.

     

    We are excited to share in this milestone with you and equally excited to celebrate the Class of 2025! Please contact us if you have any questions.