Friday, May 22, 2026 – Commencement Ceremony
5:00 pm - All gates to the football stadium will be opened.
AHS respectfully requests that all guests remain throughout the entire ceremony.
The ceremony will also be live-streamed on the APS YouTube channel at Alamogordo Public Schools Network
Dear Parents of Graduating Seniors,
Graduation from high school is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Our seniors have earned the opportunity to be recognized and honored. We request that you, parents/guardians who have long awaited this day, help us by impressing on your Senior the dignity and honor of this occasion. A formal graduation ceremony is scheduled at the end of this academic year. The guidelines outlined in this correspondence have been established and will be implemented to ensure a dignified ceremony honoring all seniors, parents, and staff.
Important Dates
Wednesday, April 22 – Senior Meeting At 9:30 a.m. in the Tiger Pit, there will be a senior class-only Senior Meeting where Senior Graduation Expectations as well as Contracts for Graduation will be discussed. Contracts can be picked up in the front office on Monday, May 11th. The deadline to return contracts and the Senior Exit Form is Monday, 18th, 2026; both will be turned into Adeline Derenzy in the Front Office.
Thursday, May 14 – Friday, May 15 – Senior Final Exams Final Exams are scheduled for seniors ONLY on May 14- 15, 2026. *Seniors enrolled in non-Senior Courses (those are made up with mostly underclassmen) will take the Final, Monday, May 18, 2026 – Wednesday, May 20, 2026, during the underclassmen test schedule, unless arrangements are made with the teacher to take early. All students must take their Final Exams during this time period. Graduation status will be verified on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, after exams have been graded.
Sunday, May 17 – Baccalaureate The Alamogordo High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes will be sponsoring Baccalaureate in the Alamogordo High School Cafeteria at 6:00 p.m. Attendance at this special service is voluntary for graduates and their guests. The side doors to the Cafeteria will open at 5:30 p.m. Parents may park in the lot by the cafeteria or come to Tiger Drive. While handheld video equipment is permitted in the audience during the service, for safety reasons, we ask that no tripods be used.
Wednesday, May 20 – Practice for Commencement Ceremony Seniors should report to the Commons area at 10:00 a.m. for instructions. This practice will last from 2 to 3 hours. Students who are not eligible to go through the graduation exercise (i.e., due to a shortage of credits) will be informed before this time. (There is a possibility that students would be informed after this date if all requirements are not met, but students have been given time.) Please note that participation in graduation ceremonies will not be permitted if a student is short of any credit(s) or does not fully meet all graduation requirements. Any student showing up under the influence at any practice or ceremony will be pulled from the line and not allowed to walk the line. 1
Thursday, May 21 – Dress Rehearsal for Commencement Ceremony Seniors should report first to the Commons area at 2:00 p.m. for instructions. Dress rehearsal will be held from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Dress for this event as you would for the actual commencement ceremony. Graduation pictures may be taken by parents during the dress rehearsal, as this will be the only time they are allowed on the field to take pictures until after the official ceremony. Please note that only flat-soled shoes (wedges, flats, boots, etc.) may be worn by anyone walking on the field.
Friday, May 22 – Commencement Ceremony 5:00 p.m. - All gates to the football stadium will be opened. AHS respectfully requests that all guests remain through the entire ceremony. 5:15 p.m. - Seniors will report to the Commons area. Students must be on time. Please do not bring any personal, hand-carried items (e.g., cell phones, iPods, or other electronic devices). Counselors will check students' appearance during this time. Please note that lining up will take some time because each graduate must be given name cards to present to the announcer as they approach the platform to receive their diploma. 6:25 p.m. - Graduates will line up for the procession. Students should move to the relative positions they held during the Thursday evening practice. Counselors will hand out name cards as they check the order of the line. Principals and counselors will lead the graduates toward the field.
Graduation Ceremony
The 2026 Graduation Ceremony will take place in the Alamogordo High School Tiger Stadium at 7:00 p.m. The graduation ceremony usually lasts approximately 75 minutes. Diplomas will be issued to students during the graduation ceremony. In the event of inclement weather, graduation will be moved into the Tiger Pit. Please note that IF this happens, each graduate will be allowed only 2 guests.
Guest Information
Tickets are not required for the ceremonies except for seats in the handicapped section. Adults must pick up tickets for handicapped guests. Only one family member is permitted to accompany each handicapped guest. Those people sitting in the handicapped section must give this ticket to the adult supervising the handicapped area. Please contact Adeline Derenzy after Sunday, May 10, 2026, at (575) 812-6502 or adeline.derenzy@alamogordoschools.org to obtain tickets for the handicapped section. You will be required to present a state-issued handicapped placard to obtain a ticket. If you have two family members who require a handicapped ticket, each member must present their own placard to obtain a ticket.
Please remember: no animals, weapons, explosive devices, alcoholic beverages, or electronic cigarettes are allowed on school property.
During the graduation ceremony, only officials will be permitted on the field with the graduates. No cameras or video equipment will be permitted on the field or in the handicapped section for elderly or handicapped guests who cannot sit in the bleachers.
Processional
Graduates should remain standing until the posting of colors is completed and the National Anthem is played. At the time the diplomas are presented, the first row will rise on the cue from its Junior Conductor, face to the outside, and file up the platform for diploma covers. When the total row is back in place, the entire row sits down together. The next row then rises on cue from the Junior Conductor, faces outside, and moves into line. Students will rise at the Senior Pupil's cue for the closing and will remain standing for the Certification of Graduation by the President of the Board of Education. When the President of the Board directs seniors to move their tassels, reach up and move the tassel from the right to the left side with your right hand. At that point, the commencement exercises have been concluded.
Parents may enter the field to greet graduates. Note that the custodial and maintenance crews will be working to pick up chairs and break down the stage. Please note that only flat-soled shoes (wedges, flats, boots, etc.) may be worn by anyone walking on the field.
Photography
Parents, please support our request for students to leave their cell phones and any other handheld electronic devices with you or at home from the time they line up in the Commons area through the graduation ceremony. Mr. Williams will take a photo of every senior who receives a diploma. Pictures will be emailed to families a week or two after Graduation. Please note that parents/guardians, who desire, are welcome to take their own pictures during the “dress rehearsal” on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 3-5 p.m., since no photography on the field is permitted during the actual ceremony on Friday, May 22, 2026.
Decorum and Dress
All students participating in graduation exercises must wear the Black and Gold cap and gown. The graduation ceremony represents the culmination of years of work by each of this year's Alamogordo High School graduates. It is an important event for each young person graduating and should be treated with the dignity and importance afforded to such special occasions.
Males: Must wear a plain business/dress shirt with a collar, with a tie preferably (T-shirts and turtleneck shirts will not be permitted). Appropriate shoes (any color; no tennis shoes or flip-flops), with socks, and dark trousers (no jeans) must be worn.
Females: Must either wear a blouse with a skirt, capris, or dress pants, or an appropriate dress. Appropriate dress shoes (any color; no flip-flops or tennis shoes) must be worn. Please note that only flat-soled shoes (wedges, flats, boots, etc.) may be worn on the field.
The only adornment permitted on the gown will be: Golden Scholar sashes, cords, and medallions; honor graduate cords; club cords; and honor society cords. Please see Mrs. Shay, Mr. Lent or Mrs. Huerta about additional adornments.
The graduation protocol permits additional ornamentation on the cap. Any adornments outside of these need to be approved by the principal. Students may decorate their caps within the following guidelines:
Decorations must be tasteful and appropriate.
No offensive, obscene, controversial, or otherwise inappropriate words, images, symbols, etc. are allowed.
Cap decorations must not hang down or obscure the student’s face.
Can not be more than an inch high on the cap.
Administration reserves the right to determine if decorations are appropriate. Students whose decorations are deemed inappropriate will be asked to remove them or be provided with an undecorated cap for the ceremony.
Students refusing the administration's request to remove decorations deemed inappropriate will not walk.
The administration, faculty, and staff at Alamogordo High School have appreciated the opportunity to work with your senior. We would like to take this opportunity to wish the Class of 2026 much health, happiness, and prosperity.
Sincerely,
April Shay, AHS Principal
PDF Parent Letter: https://aptg.co/Sjz0py