Seton High School 2024 Graduation Info

 June 22, 2024

If you would like to receive graduation updates via text message, text grad24 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, 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 the Christendom College Chapel.

(Note: we had planned the graduation for Skyline High School in Front Royal, but we were informed by the school office that we must move to Warren County High School. 3/1/24)

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

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

Christendom College: 134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630

Maps of the area are available at Google Maps.

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 (update 3/5/24: all rooms in the block are taken, but other rooms here may still be available)
• TownePlace Suites we have reserved 10 rooms of various types and cost 
• 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 ($154 or $159 per night, Seton block of rooms is available until May 21st)

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.

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 21, 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 June 21, 6:00 pm Graduation Mass at the Christendom College Chapel
• Saturday June 22, 12:30-1:00 pm Graduates and families arrive at Warren County High School
• Saturday June 22, 1:15 pm Graduation practice begins in the Warren County High School auxiliary gymnasium
• Saturday June 22, 1:55 pm Graduates process into from auxiliary gymnasium to main gymnasium
• Saturday June 22, 2:00 pm Graduation ceremony begins
• Saturday June 22, 3:30 pm (approx.) Graduation ceremony completes, class picture is taken (may be inside or outside depending on weather)
• Saturday June 22,  4:00 pm Reception in the lunch area of Warren County High School
• Saturday June 22, 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Family dance in the gym at Warren County High School

Graduation Schedule

Depending on the number of graduates, the graduation will be held either in the gymnasium or in the auditorium of the school. We will not know this for sure until the registration period is closed on May 15th. The gowning area will be either the auxiliary gymnasium or the main gymnasium.  When you arrive and sign in, you will be directed to the correct place.  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 will likely have many graduates and time is tight, it is absolutely imperative that all graduates are ready for the practice at 1:15 pm.

Speaker

Our speaker will be noted psychologist and EWTN presented Dr. Ray Guarendi: https://www.drray.com/

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 June 1.

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 June 1st.

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 22nd 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 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 campus 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 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 at the Christendom College Chapel, which is just down the road about 1.5 miles from Seton.

Graduation Dance

We will hold a graduation dance in the gymnasium of Warren County 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.

$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.  For more information, or to apply for the scholarship, see this page: https://www.setonhome.org/catholic-college-scholarship/

Invitations and Announcements

Invitations and announcements:

• One page announcement: https://www.setonhome.org/pdf/2024graduation/announce1.pdf
• Two page announcement: https://www.setonhome.org/pdf/2024graduation/announce2.pdf
• One page invitation: https://www.setonhome.org/pdf/2024graduation/invite1.pdf
• Two page invitation: https://www.setonhome.org/pdf/2024graduation/invite2.pdf

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). To be included, the bio must be received no later than June 1st. 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.