Mattituck Cutchogue School District

Mattituck prepares for high school’s 100th graduating class

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Mattituck High School principal Shawn Petretti (left) and school board member Doug Cooper unveil the centennial class’s flag. The 2014 commencement will take place June 21.

The Mattituck-Cutchogue School District is preparing for its 100th commencement in June.

During the school board’s regular meeting Sept. 19, Superintendent James McKenna unveiled the centennial class flag and said there’s been a lot of excitement about planning for the historic graduation ceremony. The flag is yellow and blue, the school’s colors, and shows a picture of eastern Long Island with a star over Mattituck. The flag also reads, “100 Years of Tradition.”

“It’s an honor to stand here as superintendent of schools because, in those 100 years, I am the ninth leader of the district,” he said. “If you know other districts and the changes that they’ve had, the stability of this district is just tremendous. It’s a great district. I truly appreciate it and I hope you do too.”

Mr. McKenna said he’ll update the school board with commencement plans at future meetings.

As for the graduation date, Mr. McKenna said it has been set for June 21, about a week before school ends.

The last day of school is June 26, which Mr. McKenna described as “awkward,” because school usually ends on a Friday and commencement is held on a Saturday.

Graduation would have typically been scheduled for June 28, but Mr. McKenna said he and his administration have decided to set a different date because many students will have college orientations that week.

Mr. McKenna said there are a few regents exams scheduled for the week of graduation, so the early date will impact about 10 seniors. Although those students will still be able to participate in the commencement ceremony, he said some of them may get their diplomas updated after graduation, depending on how well they do on the regents.

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