Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team, has been offered up as a venue for high school graduation ceremonies for local students.
Throughout the month of June, the Red Sox will offer Fenway Park to 15 of the 38 graduating high school classes across the city’s public school system.
The opportunity to host a graduation at the iconic stadium was offered to all schools in the Boston Public Schools system, but some had already secured outdoor traditional venues and others will host ceremonies at other locations across Boston.
The graduations will take place from June 7-21, with students and their families able to sit in Fenway Park’s bleacher seats during the ceremonies. As many as four different ceremonies will take place on any given day.
Commencement ceremonies will be held on game days and non-game days throughout June. Ceremonies taking place on game days will be held in the mornings, leaving enough time to get the ballpark ready for the evening games.
Sam Kennedy, president and chief executive of the Red Sox, said: “When we learned that so many of the Boston Public Schools were looking to find adequate outdoor spaces to hold their commencement ceremonies, we knew we could help.
“Fenway Park is the perfect outdoor space in the heart of the city and large enough to host teachers, students, and their families in a safe manner. After such a challenging year, this important milestone is one that should be celebrated, and we are pleased to be able to offer our venue to help these seniors celebrate their achievements.”
BPS superintendent Brenda Cassellius added: “I am so excited to celebrate our graduates in-person this year, at ceremonies across the city, alongside BPS families and staff. Our students have had an incredibly challenging junior and senior year, and yet they continue to persevere toward this important milestone in their life – earning a high school diploma.
“We are so fortunate to have the continued support and partnership of the Boston Red Sox, and I am so thankful for their offer to provide many of our young Bostonians with this truly unique hometown experience.”
Fenway Park, which opened in 1912, is currently hosting Red Sox games at 12% capacity due to ongoing restrictions caused by the pandemic.
Image: Waz8/CCO 1.0 Universal (CCO 1.0)/Edited for size
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