Although Buena’s 2025 graduation ceremony was originally scheduled to be at Ventura College due to track renovations, delays on the project recently moved the ceremony back to the Buena stadium to be hosted June 5.
Recently, construction work caused parking lot turmoil for all Buena students during the solar panel installations. Now, when seniors learned that their graduation was also affected due to construction work, most were outraged.
Buena’s administration informed seniors that their graduation would be unlike their predecessors, as they would have to move the ceremony to Ventura College.
In protest, seniors pointed out how the difference in stadium size at Ventura College and Buena contributed to other modifications regarding the ceremony, such as the amount of family members of the graduating class able to join.
“It doesn’t make sense to have the graduation at Ventura College since their field is smaller,” senior Lindsey Davila said. “I didn’t like the fact that they also reduced our tickets last year. And, since we’re moving back to Buena, we get an additional three tickets which [is] good.”
With all of the complaints from seniors, administration staff began to work around the situation. However, according to principal Audrey Asplund, the recent delays in the planned renovation project on the field meant the construction work would now start towards the end of June.
“The original goal was to work on the track from May to July, so it would be ready for fall athletics in August,” Asplund said.
Although this shift has caused major changes within the school administration, the news was met with enthusiasm from most seniors.
“I love the fact that our graduation is back at Buena,” senior Alexandra Padilla said. “If it was at Ventura College, I would have felt like all my hard work at Buena was for nothing. It just feels good that we’re going to be able to graduate just like the class of 2024 did.”
While the ceremony returning back to its original location is seen as a victory, the delay in the project introduces its own issues. Asplund acknowledged the potential impact this delay can have on the school’s athletic programs.
“It may affect a different season of athletics; we aren’t sure yet,” Asplund said. “It’s very difficult to move practices and games around for any sport [if the field isn’t finished yet].”
As the school administration and district assess how the delay will impact the scheduling and logistics for sports next year, additional details on the change are still to come. For now, all that’s left is to congratulate the class of 2025 for their achievements and the finalization of their graduation ceremony set to take place on the home field.
