Seton High School 2022 Graduation Info

 June 18, 2022

 

IMPORTANT NOTE

 Although we have high confidence that the graduation will proceed as scheduled, please bear in mind that everything listed is dependent on state and local regulations.

If you would like to receive graduation updates via text message, text grad22 to 877-694-0583.

Front Royal, Virginia

Front Royal is located almost exactly at the intersection of Interstates 81 and 66 in north central Virginia.  From the North and South, it is easily reached by taking Interstate 95 to the Washington beltway, and then taking Interstate 66 West.  If traveling on Interstate 81, take 66 East. There are several different venues for various events.  The graduation ceremony will be at Warren County High School. A Friday pizza party lunch reception will be at Seton Home Study School. 

We also hope to have 1) a Friday evening event, 2) a Saturday morning graduation mass at St. John the Baptist Church, and 3) a graduation dance Saturday evening. However, plans for these events have not been finalized.

Warren County High School (155 Westminster Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630):

From Eastbound Interstate 66, take Exit 6. Follow US 522/340 South into Front Royal.  To stay on 522/340, you will need to make a left turn at 14th Street (there will be a BBT Bank and a Verizon store at this intersection).  A mile after this turn, routes 522 and 340 break apart.  Turn left to stay on 522, as the road name changes to N. Commerce Avenue.  Turn left again onto Rt. 55 (John Marshall Highway). Turn left onto Westminster Drive; the entrance to Warren County High School will be on your left in about one mile.

From Westbound Interstate 66, take Exit 13.  Turn left onto Apple Mountain Road, and then turn right after about 1/4 of a mile onto Rt. 55 (John Marshal Highway).  Continue on Rt. 55 for about 4 miles. Turn left onto Westminster Drive; the entrance to Warren County High School will be on your left in about one mile.  (Note: Only follow these directions if you are going directly to Warren County High School on Saturday. If you are arriving in Front Royal the previous evening and checking into a hotel, we suggest that you use Exit 6, as that exit is closer to many hotels.)

Seton Home Study School (1350 Progress Drive, Front Royal, VA  22630): From Front Royal, take Happy Creek road out of town for two miles. Turn left onto Shenandoah Shores Road and travel approximately one-half mile to Progress Drive. Turn left onto Progress Drive. Seton Home Study School is the second building on the right.

Maps of the area are available at MapQuest.

 

Airports

The Washington DC metropolitan area is served by three airports: Dulles Airport (IAD), National Airport (DCA), and Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI). Dulles Airport is approximately a 60 minute drive from Front Royal. National is approximately an hour and fifteen minutes. BWI is approximately an hour and forty-five minutes.

 

Hotel Information

We don’t have blocks at the following hotels but we recommend you try them for reservations:

• TownePlace Suites Front Royal
• Hampton Inn Front Royal
• Sleep Inn Winchester
• Double Tree by Hilton (formerly Holiday Inn)
• Super 8 Front Royal (less expensive choice)
• Baymont Inn Front Royal (less expensive choice)

The Super 8 and Baymont Inn are the closest hotel to the the graduation venue, being less than 2 miles away.

If rooms are not available in Front Royal, then you might try hotels in Strasburg, Winchester or Stephen’s City, all of which are within easy driving distance of Front Royal. To see various hotels in the area, please consult hotels.com, kayak.com, tripadvisor.com or a similar service.

Larger family groups may wish to consider a home rental through www.vrbo.com or similar service.

Because mid-June is high wedding season, we suggest that you make accommodation plans as soon as possible.

 

Event Summary

Projected schedule, subject to change:

• Friday June 17, noon-2:00 pm Pizza party reception for families and graduates. Seton tours. Fun and games for kids!
• Friday June 17, 6:00 pm We hoped to have an event Friday evening but unfortunately were not able to schedule an event
• Saturday June 18, 10:30 am Graduation Mass at St. John the Baptist Church in Front Royal
• Saturday June 18, 12:30-1:00 pm Graduates and families arrive at Warren County High School
• Saturday June 18, 1:15 pm Graduation practice begins in the Warren County High School auxiliary gymnasium
• Saturday June 18, 1:55 pm Graduates process into from auxiliary gymnasium to main gymnasium
• Saturday June 18, 2:00 pm Graduation ceremony begins
• Saturday June 18, 3:30 pm (approx.) Graduation ceremony completes, class picture is taken (may be inside or outside depending on weather)
• Saturday June 18,  4:00 pm Reception in the lunch area of Warren County High School
• Saturday June 18, 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Family dance in the gym at Warren County High School

 

Graduation Schedule

Because of the high number of graduates (approximately 150), the graduation will be held in the gymnasium rather than the auditorium of the school. The gowning area will be the auxiliary gymnasium.  When you arrive and sign in, you will be directed to the auxiliary gym.  At 1:15 we will run through a quick practice with the graduates.

The graduation ceremony will last from 2:00 until approximately 3:30.  Immediately following the ceremony we will have a class picture.  Following the class picture, we will have a reception in the lunch area of the school.  The reception will last until about 5:30 pm or so.  The dance will start at 7:00 pm, also in the gymnasium at Warren County High School.

Please arrive at Warren County High School between 12:30 and 1:00 pm, but no later than 1:00 pm.  Please eat lunch beforehand, as there will be no further opportunity to eat until the reception around 4:00.  Since we have many graduates and time is tight, it is absolutely imperative that all graduates are ready for the practice at 1:15 pm.

 

Speaker

We are pleased to announce that the commencement speaker for the graduation will be Stephen D. Minnis, president of Benedictine College.  To read more about Mr. Minnis, click here.

 

Student Speaker(s)

Again this year we intend to have one or two graduates give a short speech (5 to 10 minutes) at the graduation as representatives of the graduating class.  If you would like to give a speech, please send your planned remarks (between 750 and 1500 words) to KevClark@setonhome.org.  We will choose from among all submitted remarks and contact those chosen at least two weeks before graduation.

 

Attendance

We ask that you stick as closely as possible to the number of guests you reported to us. If you wish to bring significantly more guests than you reported please let us know by May 31st.

 

Dress Code

There is no specific dress code for graduates, but clothes under the gown should be appropriate. Gentlemen are encouraged to wear ties with collared shirts, but should avoid suit jackets due to heat. Ladies are encouraged not to wear very long dresses that hang below the gown so as to prevent tripping.  Ladies and gentlemen should wear appropriate dress shoes, and ladies should avoid extremely high heels for safety going up and down stairs.  If you want to color-coordinate, the caps and gowns will be royal blue and the honors stoles are gold.

If you have earned any academic honors stoles or medals of your own, feel free to wear those as well.

 

High School Credits

Students who have completed sufficient credits to graduate by June 18th will receive their actual diploma at the graduation ceremony. Other students will receive a certificate and will have their diploma mailed to them upon completion of their work. If you are unsure of the status of your high school credits, please contact Bob Wiesner or John Thorp at guidance@setonhome.org. You may also contact Bob Wiesner by phone at 540-622-8478 or John Thorp at 540-636-2238.

 

Pictures

There will be ample opportunities to take pictures throughout the day.  Families are encouraged to help the graduate with his or her cap and gown and take family pictures in the gymnasium.  During the graduation ceremony, Seton will have a photographer who will take individual close-up pictures of each graduate receiving his or her diploma.  After the graduation ceremony, class pictures will be taken.

Seton also plans to live-stream the graduation on our Facebook page, and the video will remain available after the graduation.

 

Portrait Area

There will be portrait areas with lights and backdrop set up at Warren County High School both before and after the graduation ceremony, where families may take student and family portraits.

 

Friday Afternoon Family Pizza Party

On Friday afternoon before the graduation, from 12:00 to 2:00, we will hold a pizza party at the Seton building on 1350 Progress Drive, Front Royal.  Besides pizza, we will have such things as moon bounces, pony rides, pop corn, etc. This is a great opportunity to see the Seton building, meet the Seton staff and the other families, and let the kids have a fun time.  We have also found that this is a great way for graduates to meet each other and form friendships.

 

Graduation Dance

We know that graduates look forward each year to the Saturday evening graduation dance, and we will do our best to offer that this year.  As you can imagine, though, a dance is not an easy thing to schedule at this time.  As the coming year unfolds, we hope that covid infections will decrease and regulations will decrease and that we can safely hold the dance.  As things stand currently, there is simply no way of predicting if this will be possible.

 

$1500 College Scholarships 

To support Catholic higher education, Seton is giving out ten $1500 college scholarships to our graduates (this includes all graduates, not only those who attend the Front Royal graduation) who plan on enrolling with one of our college partner schools or any other Newman Guide recommended college.  Ten recipients will be chosen at random from among all eligible applications received.  Information on how to apply for the scholarship will be posted soon.

 

Invitations and Announcements

We have produced templates that you can use to print your own announcements and invitations.  Here are links to the PDF templates:

Graduation Invitation (Two-sided)
Graduation Invitation (One-sided)

Graduation Announcement (Two-sided)
Graduation Announcement (One-sided)

The invitations are designed to print on 5.5×8.5 invitation paper.  Here is a link to paper of that size.

 

Caps and Gowns

In order to keep down the cost of graduation, we reuse the caps and gowns from year to year, so we ask that you return the caps and gowns before you leave.  There will be a collection area for caps and gowns in the reception area. Some graduates have asked to borrow the cap and gown for another graduation ceremony with a local group.  If you wish to borrow the cap and gown, please let a Seton staffer know so that it is properly accounted for.

A souvenir tassel is included with the cap.  This tassel is yours to keep.

 

Graduation Program

We like to put information in the program about the graduates. If you have decided upon a college to attend next year, or you have received any outstanding academic awards or recognition (such as National Merit Scholarship, ROTC, Scouting, etc.), or have received scholarship awards, or have some other information you would like to have in the program, please let us know. We have a limited amount of space so we ask you to be brief (no more than 100 words). Please email the information to gradbio@setonhome.org.