Posted in High School:

Important Information Regarding Graduation

TICKET INFORMATION

All CMCSS graduations will take place at the Austin Peay State University Dunn Center (510 Drane Street, Clarksville). Tickets will be distributed by your student’s high school. A maximum of 10 tickets will be provided to each student, and tickets cannot be reproduced or replicated.

CMCSS graduations are opportunities to celebrate students’ accomplishments.  All of the following rules will apply to ALL CMCSS graduations unless otherwise notified by CMCSS administration.

• For the safety and security of our students, families, and faculty, all graduations will utilize the OpenGate weapons detection system.
• Graduations will implement a Clear Bag Policy for all guests. See details below.
• Every guest, regardless of age, must have a ticket to be admitted.
• Guests are not permitted on the floor of the Dunn Center before, during, or after the ceremony.
• Please do not arrive more than 30 minutes before your graduation ceremony.
• The seating is open and should not be held for late arrivals to your party.
• Please leave the Dunn Center no later than 30 minutes after your graduation ceremony ends.

Clear Bag Policy

• One (1) clear tote (plastic, vinyl, or PVC) per person is permitted.
• Clear totes should not exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12″, and schools have the discretion to prohibit any oversized clear tote bags.
• One (1) one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziplock bag or similar) per person is permitted.
• Clear bags cannot be tinted or have large graphics that obstruct visibility.
• Approved family care items (diapers, formula, etc.) must be included in the clear plastic tote bag.
• All bags are subject to search.

Prohibited items include, but are not limited to:

• Purses, fanny packs, backpacks, duffel bags, coolers, briefcases, diaper bags, cinch bags, luggage of any kind, and computer bags

Wednesday, May 20

Middle College at Austin Peay State University

10:00 a.m.

Live Stream Link Available in May

Adult High School

12:00 p.m.

Live Stream Link Available in May

CMCSS K-12 Virtual

2:00 p.m.

Live Stream Link Available in May

CMCSS Adult Education

4:00 p.m.

Live Stream Link Available in May

Thursday, May 21

Kenwood High School

4:00 p.m.

Live Stream Link Available in May

West Creek High School

7:00 p.m.

Live Stream Available in May

Friday, May 22

Rossview High School

4:00 p.m.

Live Stream Available in May

Clarksville High School

7:00 p.m.

Live Stream Available in May

Saturday, May 23

Kirkwood High School

9:00 a.m.

Live Stream Available in May

Northwest High School

12:00 p.m.

Live Stream Available in May

Northeast High School

3:00 p.m.

Live Stream Available in May

Montgomery Central High School

6:00 p.m.

Live Stream Available in May

All CMCSS graduations will be live-streamed via the links below. Streams will not be active until the scheduled graduation time indicated. A recorded version of the graduation will be available following the ceremonies on the CMCSS YouTube page.

Adult Education

May 22, 2024
4:00 p.m.

Watch Live

Adult High School

May 22, 2024
12:00 p.m.

Watch Live

Clarksville High School

May 23, 2024
7:00 p.m.

Watch Live

CMCSS K-12 Virtual School

May 22, 2024
2:00 p.m.

Watch Live

Kenwood High School

May 25, 2024
3:00 p.m.

Watch Live

Kirkwood High School

May 24, 2024
4:00 p.m.

Watch Live

Middle College at APSU

May 22, 2024
10:00 a.m.

Watch Live

Montgomery Central High School

May 25, 2024
12:00 p.m.

Watch Live

Northeast High School

May 25, 2024
9:00 a.m.

Watch Live

Northwest High School

May 24, 2024
7:00 p.m.

Watch Live

Rossview High School

May 23, 2024
4:00 p.m.

Watch Live

West Creek High School

May 25, 2024
6:00 p.m.

Watch Live

Each year, CMCSS sets strategic goals for what the district will focus on that academic year. In order to be successful, we need to hear your feedback on these goals. The district will host a series of focus groups with parents and community members to collect input on our progress toward strategic goals.

What: Strategic Work Focus Groups

When: End of October (Times and dates will vary; participants can select a date and time in the form linked below.)

Why: The District holds focus groups with key partners to collect feedback on specific areas and make adjustments to ensure we meet student, employee, and parent expectations.

How: If you are interested in being part of a focus group, click here to complete a short form and express your interest. We will randomly select 10-12 participants per focus group.

Sometimes the most important part of a choice is what you do with the consequence. For 17-year-old Zachary Delatorre, he was done letting a few poor decisions define him. Zach will soon cross the stage, overcoming more than one obstacle, earning his high school diploma in the first graduating class of CMCSS Adult High School.

Zach’s high school experience was a journey that met more twists and turns than anyone could have predicted. Multiple schools, multiple states, a pandemic, more than a year of virtual learning, and a few short-sighted teenage choices brought Delatorre to Adult High School in 2022.

“It was a blessing in disguise,” said Zach. He struggled with outside pressures and was warned he was on a dangerous path. “[Since middle school] I was told I wouldn’t graduate and I would be a dropout, and that was discouraging,” he said. “It made me feel like a failure. It made me want to give up on school.”

Seeing the potential in Zach, Dr. Kim Sigears and several teachers stepped in and encouraged him to imagine a different future. Dr. Sigears wanted him to focus on school, ignore the other choices, and invest in himself.

“Once I made the decision to continue to Adult High School, Ms. Tracy [Dewese] gave me hope; the staff there gave me hope.” He had several people in his corner who believed in his abilities. Zach credits Ms. McKnight and Ms. Sparn at Clarksville High for continuing to believe in him. He insisted more than anything, “My mom and dad gave me hope not to give up and continued to encourage me.”

Once students are enrolled in Adult High, school counselors work with each student individually. They create a plan to help students complete their remaining graduation requirements. Every student’s needs are different, and the staff remains flexible and supportive as they work towards graduation.

For Zach, Adult High School ignited the belief he’d been missing. “I never had an opportunity like this,” he said. “It was really good for me. It was different.” There was a freedom to work independently. Teachers would help with the subject matter but allowed Zach to control the pace. He found the ability to self-direct a welcome change in learning style.

“In the mornings, I would walk through the door. Ms. Tracy would always greet me and walk me to my class. There’s a lot of positivity there.” The positivity propelled him to continue to push himself. The supportive environment was what he needed. “It was the best administration and staff I have ever been around. I felt comfortable.”

There were still times when the situation became almost overwhelming. “What got me through the entire process was not self-motivation. I have anxiety, and I can get overwhelmed by my thoughts. But I learned how to get one thing done and go on to the next. Sometimes I just had to do it. I learned a lot of patience for myself. If I didn’t have patience for myself, I would not be successful.” He remained focused, especially when he considered everyone standing behind him supportively. “I thought, ‘My grandma and uncle are coming out from Nevada. So I’ve just got to do it.’”

As he confidently plans for his future, Zach looks forward to a career in the trades. “I want to make a career out of HVAC or welding,” he said. These high-demand, skilled professions will give him the foundation to build a better future. He credits a class he took years ago for sparking his interest in a welding career initially.

“I like working with my hands,” he explained. “My freshman year, I took an agriculture class. We had 4×4 metal sheets, and we would weld the sheets together into a birdhouse.”

Zach’s journey is proof that you cannot be sure of the path life will take, and it’s always possible to find an opportunity if you’re willing to put in the work. The impact of his success has not fully resonated yet. Soon, he’ll join the 97 other graduates of Adult High School. “It will hit me on Wednesday when I’m walking,” he laughs.

“It feels good to know not only did I prove everyone wrong, but I finally believed in myself and saw that, yes, I can do it once I put my mind and heart into it. I struggle with anxiety and ADHD. I was able to overcome that and see that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.”

All CMCSS graduations will be live-streamed via the links below. Streams will not be active until the scheduled graduation time indicated. A recorded version of the graduation will be available following the ceremonies on the CMCSS YouTube page.

Adult Education

Wednesday, May 25, 2022
1:00 p.m.

Live Stream

Adult High School

Wednesday, May 25, 2022
7:00 p.m.

Live Stream

Clarksville High School

Saturday, May 28, 2022
3:00 p.m.

Live Stream

CMCSS K-12 Virtual

Wednesday, May 25, 2022
4:00 p.m.

Live Stream

Kenwood High School

Friday, May 27, 2022
7:00 p.m.

Live Stream

Middle College at APSU

Wednesday, May 25, 2022
10:00 a.m.

Live Stream

Montgomery Central High School

Friday, May 27, 2022
4:00 p.m.

Live Stream

Northeast High School

Thursday, May 26, 2022
7:00 p.m.

Live Stream

Northwest High School

Thursday, May 26, 2022
4:00 p.m.

Live Stream

Rossview High School

Saturday, May 28, 2022
Noon

Live Stream

West Creek High School

Saturday, May 28, 2022
9:00 a.m.

Live Stream

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade. Rezoning is taken very seriously, and the district makes every effort to ensure stakeholders are involved in the process. In May 2020, CMCSS began communicating the need for rezoning to families with the construction of the Kirkwood complex.

The population of Montgomery County has increased 27.7% in the last 10 years. Projections indicate the population could see a 40% growth rate in the next 20 years. The effect of this tremendous change can be seen in our local schools.

Growth in CMCSS

• CMCSS has a 30-year average growth of 677 new students every year.
• Current enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year is 37,769 students.
• Oakland, Rossview, and West Creek Elementary schools have recently undergone expansion projects to address capacity. See the current capacity of each school here (pdf).
• School capacity has an impact on the flexibility of programming and extracurricular activities.
• Maintaining a capacity of approximately 85% is the goal of CMCSS.
• The goal of CMCSS is to not rely on portables as a permanent solution.

At the Jan. 4, 2022, School Board Study Session, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board heard on first reading the recommendation that changes be made to the middle and high school zone lines for the 2022-2023 school year.

In 2021, the district initiated the process of working with a third-party consulting firm, RSP and Associates, with expertise in school system rezoning. In collaboration with the consulting firm and community stakeholders, the CMCSS Zoning Project Team has studied and evaluated existing school zones and building capacities to identify opportunities to better serve students, per the district’s Zoning Procedure (OPS-P017). The following criteria guide the team’s work:

• Rezone as few students as possible
• The proximity of students to existing schools
• Transport students the least distance possible
• Equitable distribution of resources according to the learning needs of all students
• Enrollment capacity of existing schools
• Consideration of free and reduced lunch status (socioeconomic)
• Allow for future growth where possible (based upon Regional Planning Commission lot and permit data)

Taking these guidelines into consideration, the Zoning Project Team made the following recommendation to the School Board. (Click here to see the presentation)

CMCSS and RSP & Associates will host three public forums to gain feedback from the community regarding the rezoning recommendations. The community is invited to attend the following forums:

• Monday, January 17, 2022, 5:30 pm (Virtual Meeting – access the meeting link here)
• Tuesday, January 18, 2022, 5:30 pm (Virtual Meeting – access the meeting link here)
• Tuesday, February 1, 2022, 5:30 pm (In-Person Meeting – Rossview High School)

A final zoning recommendation will be presented to the School Board on Feb. 8 for voting. District rezoning information can be found at cmcss.net/zoning.