Graduation: the biggest event that every high schooler eagerly awaits in their young adolescent years. It means that four years of high school come to a close as students get to be together one last time before they move their separate ways. This year, though, some people are not  happy about the venue of Potomac Falls High School’s graduation due to the installation of the turf field.    

 “I actually don’t like that we have to have it at another school. I don’t understand why we can’t have it here,” said senior Caitlin Dickson.

  The installation of the turf field is scheduled to begin mid-May, requiring graduation to be moved to the Rock Ridge High School campus in Ashburn.

 “I’m kind of disappointed because I wanted to graduate on our own campus, whether it be on the field or at the gym, because we’ve spent four years here,” said senior Chelsea Bhargava.

 The process of choosing an alternate venue was a long and strenuous one. Several alternative location options were considered including Ida Lee Park  in Leesburg, Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, and EagleBank Arena in Fairfax and even Constitution Hall and Georgetown University  in Washington, D.C. Ultimately, cost, availability, and specific venue limitations prevented any of these options from happening. In the end, it came down to Dominion or Rock Ridge high schools.

 “We went down the list of the ones who are graduating the same day as us and eliminated a few. Dominion offered us their campus, but they only graduate indoors, so you would be limited [to] five tickets per family, and that’s one less if we were outside [at Potomac Falls]. Or Rock Ridge sets up inside and outside,” said Principal Dr. Elizabeth Noto.   

If graduation were to be in the Potomac Falls gym, seniors would only get three tickets each, while at Rock Ridge seniors can get six tickets as long as it is outside.

 “If [the amount of tickets] were to go up then it would good because more people can come to see you graduate,” said junior football player Jacob Printz.

 The installation of the turf field will begin after all of the spring sports home games are over, so it can be done in time for next year’s football season.  If it were to be postponed until after graduation, then most of the football games would have to be away games. Junior football player Josh Legarda agrees with many seniors that the installation should be pushed back.

 “I’m an athlete and education is still first priority, and graduating is the big part of high school because it shows how far you’ve come…they should push it back because I can still manage with the grass field,” said Legarda.

  Printz disagrees and thinks the installation of the field should continue as scheduled.

“No they shouldn’t [postpone the installation of the field]. They should keep it because this [will be] my senior year of football and I don’t want to play all of my games away at the other’s team high school,” said Printz.

  While many people would like construction to be pushed back to allow for graduation at home, economic and weather weather related concerns don’t allow for it.

 “Any year that’d be put in, you would need that time, that same time frame [of three months]. And we always need it for the first of September for our fall programs to start,” said athletic director Mike Sipe.

 While this is upsetting to seniors who will be no longer affected by the football team this coming fall, it is more about an issue of funding. Football is the sport that attracts the most spectators to Potomac Falls and the money generated at these games funds most of the other sports programs. If the games are away, then there isn’t money coming in.

 “As much as we sometimes frown on this, football is a big focus and the reason is that football and basketball fund the entire athletic program for the year. [Because of] the cost of officials, uniforms, and transportation, most sports put us in the red,” said Noto.

While the turf field has caused a lot of controversy, it has also has caused a lot of excitement for the sports teams that will be able to play on it. The artificial field will have lower maintenance and will enable teams to play more readily in inclement weather.

 “Not only [is it] a game facility, but also a practice facility as well,” said Sipe.

   The turf field is supposed to last at least eight years as new classes rotate in and out, and many games are going to be played on the turf field in years to come. While the reality is that this year’s seniors are disappointed in changing venues, graduation will still be representative of the spirit of Potomac Falls.  

 “The reality is that leading up to it, it seems very frustrating and feels wrong to put [another school’s] name on your graduation announcement, but [on] the day of, nobody’s going to care where they are. If it were at the [formally known as] Patriot Center, if we were at the Expo Center, or wherever we were, you’re getting your diploma and it’s a big day,” said Noto.

 More specific details about graduation will be available soon for students and parents.

 “I’m pretty excited about this all coming together and I’m excited to have a place where- Mr. Dulleman is the principal at Rock Ridge and he’s willing to accommodate for us,” said Noto.