With only one full month of school left for the class of 2021, there are many plans to make. Prom, the all night grad party and walking across the stage at EagleBank are all going to look very different for this graduating class. There are now updates from South Lakes and Fairfax County (FCPS) regarding what seniors can expect.

Graduation

Graduation will be on Friday, June 4 at 9:00 AM with a rain date of June 7 at the same time. Graduation will be held at WT Woodson High School. It typically takes around 30 minutes to get to Woodson from South Lakes. Students can also take the bus with the Silver and Orange Line Metro to get there, though it will take significantly longer (by about an hour and a half).

Students will be given a “minimum” of four tickets which they will be allowed to distribute as they wish. South Lakes expects the stadium to be “at capacity.”

Woodson will graduate two days prior in the same stadium. Other FCPS schools are using Jiffy Lube Live, community buildings, their own stadiums, Centreville and Hayfield’s stadiums.

Prom

The junior class is “actively planning a prom-like activity for the middle of May.” It will be outside and open to both the class of 2021 and 2022. Visit the Class Council of 2022’s survey to voice your opinion (read more here).

All Night Grad Party

The All Night Grad Party (ANGP) is a South Lakes tradition where students remain at the school with different forms of entertainment after graduation. The Parent Teacher Students Association (PTSA) is still planning the event. The PTSA announced, “We are hoping for the traditional in person party,” but stated they are also preparing for having to do an alternate event that may “include virtual raffles, outings, gaming etc.” 

Wall Signing

The senior wall was not signed by every member of the class of 2021 after the cold weather set in. Students grew frustrated as the weather warmed, but the school has announced that the next senior event (April 26) will allocate time for wall signing on. Sign up for the event here.

Senior event

The April senior social will be held on April 26, 2021 from 1:00-3:00 PM. Students can sign up for a time slot here (there are 100 spots per time block). 

• Rock Garden: There will be a decision day rock painting station for students to paint their next step, whether that is the workforce, university, trade training or the military. The rocks will be added to a new rock garden with the new outdoor picnic tables. Students will be able to take the rocks home and paint them there, they can then bring it back to the ‘21 subschool and the faculty will add the rock to the garden.
• Senior Shirt Distribution: There will be “Class of 2021” commemorative t-shirts. “The t-shirts will be distributed to all seniors. Come and be the first to get the shirt!”

Exams

There will be no IB exams. The IB will be calculating the final scores through predicted grades and internal assessment (IA) grades. The schedule for general final exams has not been announced, but many teachers have planned to have them the second to last and last week of May.

Lawn Signs

People can still order lawn signs for their students, courtesy of the ANGP planning group in order to fundraise for the party. Signs cost $25 each, but students can order $40 for two. “Signs ordered in March should be available for pick up at the end of April. Signs ordered in April should be ready for pick up in May.” Place your order here.

Yearbooks

Yearbooks are still on sale until April 24! Read more about ordering yours here.