Seton High School 2025 Graduation Info

 May 31, 2025

If you would like to receive graduation updates via text message, text grad2025 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 Skyline High School, immediately followed by a reception, then a graduation dance later in the evening. A Friday pizza party lunch reception will be at Seton Home Study School. We also plan to have a Friday evening graduation mass at St. John the Baptist Church in Front Royal.

Skyline High School: 151 Skyline Vista Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630

Seton Home Study School: 1350 Progress Drive, Front Royal, VA  22630

St. John the Baptist Church: 120 West Main Street, Front Royal, VA 22630

This is a link to a custom map.

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 50 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 have blocks of rooms for Thursday through Sunday at some hotels, but other hotels are available as well:

• Hampton Inn Front Royal we have reserved 12 two-queen bed rooms at $119 per night (booking link: https://group.hamptoninn.com/kyz4cj)
• TownePlace Suites we have reserved a block of 15 rooms at $159 and $169 per night (booking link: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1736349236987&key=GRP&guestreslink2=true&app=resvlink)
• Sleep Inn Winchester (approximately $100 per night)
• Double Tree by Hilton (has 3-bed rooms available, from $180 to $245)
• Super 8 Front Royal (from $93 per night)
• Baymont Inn Front Royal (from $75 per night)
• Quality Inn Stephens City (approximately $90 per night)
• Holiday Inn Winchester Historic Gateway (approximately $150 per night)

The Super 8 and Baymont Inn are the closest hotel to 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.

Seton’s reserved room blocks tend to go quickly, so book early.  Note that in cases in which Seton has reserved a block of rooms, that doesn’t guarantee we have the lowest possible rate. You might want to try online sites and maybe find a better rate.

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

Because the graduation is near the high wedding season, we suggest that you make accommodation plans as soon as possible.

Event Summary

Projected schedule, subject to change:

• Friday May 30, noon-2:00 pm Pizza party reception for families and graduates at the Seton campus (1350 Progress Drive). Seton tours. Fun and games for kids!
• Friday May 30, 6:00 pm Graduation Mass at St. John the Baptist Church
• Saturday May 31, 12:30-1:00 pm Graduates and families arrive at Skyline High School
• Saturday May 31, 1:15 pm Graduation practice begins in the Skyline High School auxiliary gymnasium
• Saturday May 31, 1:55 pm Graduates process into from auxiliary gymnasium to main gymnasium
• Saturday May 31, 2:00 pm Graduation ceremony begins
• Saturday May 31, 3:30 pm (approx.) Graduation ceremony completes, class picture is taken (may be inside or outside depending on weather)
• Saturday May 31,  4:00 pm Reception in the lunch area of Skyline High School
• Saturday May 31, 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Family dance in the gym at Skyline High School

Graduation Schedule

The graduation will be held in the gymnasium of the school. The gowning area will be the auxiliary gymnasium.  When you arrive and sign in, you will be directed to the correct place for gowning.  At 1:15 or so 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 Skyline High School.

Please arrive at Skyline 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. 

Speaker

The commencement speaker has not been announced yet.

Student Speaker(s)

Again this year we intend to have one or two graduates give a short speech (5 to 10 minutes, or 750 to 1500 words) at the graduation as representatives of the graduating class.  Speeches may be on any topic you choose, but should be appropriate for a Catholic high school graduation. To be considered, speeches must be received by email at studentspeech@setonhome.org by May 10.

A more full listing of speech requirements may be found here: https://www.setonhome.org/graduation-speech-requirements/

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 10.

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 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 auxiliary gymnasium.  During the graduation ceremony, Seton 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 Skyline 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 campus at 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 campus, 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.

Friday Evening Graduation Mass

On Friday evening at 6:00 pm we will have a graduation mass (location to be determined).

Graduation Dance

We will hold a graduation dance in the gymnasium of Skyline High School on Saturday evening after the graduation from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.  This is a dance for all family members, not just graduates.

Invitations and Announcements

Invitations and announcements will be available soon.

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 that bios be no more than 100 words. To be included, the bio must be received no later than May 10. Please email the information to gradbio@setonhome.org.

Here are a few sample bios:

[Name] plans to attend Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he will compete in track and field on scholarship, and pursue a degree in classical architecture. He has traveled extensively, including living in Madrid, Spain, for a year. He was National Merit Commended and a member of Eta Sigma Alpha National Honor Society. He is a two-time state champion in track, and this year placed first in the triple jump and second in the long jump, and was on the winning 4×200 meter and 4×400 meter relay teams at state.

[Name] plans to attend Boston University where she has received a full tuition scholarship due to winning an art competition. She plans to pursue a BFA in computer animation. She has been active in her parish over the years and taught catechism class there for her senior year. She has a great love for dogs and enjoyed volunteering at her local animal shelter. She is proud of her work with the Civil Air Patrol, in which she achieved the rank of Captain and received the Earhart Award.