Mark your calendar. Registration for our Hermiston School District Summer Program opens March 23. Spots fill quickly, so be sure to review program details and register early.
As the 2024–25 school year comes to a close and planning begins for 2025–26, the district has taken time to reflect on recent feedback regarding Hermiston High School’s graduation practices, particularly related to the display of military stoles. For more than 13 years Hermiston High School has honored seniors who enlist in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces with a single red, white, and blue cord; a unified symbol of appreciation for service across all branches. Because of this long-standing tradition, requests for branch-specific stoles, including a Navy stole this year, were not approved. We acknowledge that the reasoning behind this decision was not communicated as clearly as it could have been, and we understand the confusion that resulted.
We take responsibility for the error in the graduation instruction that listed military stoles as approved for wear at graduation. This is not part of our official policy and was posted in error creating confusion. Thank you for helping us strengthen our practices and celebrate every graduate with clarity and respect.
Tricia Mooney Superintendent, Hermiston School District
