Graduation Meetings:
Graduation planning begins well before graduation day! We plan to meet in October, January, March, and May to make plans, share important information, and prepare for the celebration. We ask that at least one parent or guardian attend each meeting. Graduates are always welcome and encouraged to join us!

Rehearsal:
Friday, May 28, 2027 · 6:00–8:00 PM
All graduates and at least one parent or guardian are required to attend the graduation rehearsal. Rehearsal gives everyone a chance to walk through the ceremony, practice the processional and recessional, and make sure everyone knows where they need to be on the big day.

Parent Volunteers:
A celebration this special takes a village! There will be a variety of opportunities for parents to help throughout the year and on graduation day. We'll share volunteer needs through future surveys and provide more information in our surveys.

Voting:
We want graduation to reflect the graduates and families who make up our PTG community. Throughout the year, families and graduates will have opportunities to vote on various elements of the ceremony, including music, speakers, and other special details.

Every PTG graduation is a little different, but our ceremony typically follows a format similar to this:

Order of Ceremony
Processional: “Pomp & Circumstance”
Welcome: Emcee
Scripture Reading: Graduate
Prayer: Graduate
Speaker Introduction
Scripture Reading: Graduate
Presentation of Diplomas: Parents of Graduates
Hymn
Scripture Reading: Graduate
Benediction
Special Acknowledgments
Closing Prayer: Graduate
Presentation of the Class
Recessional

The order may change from year to year as our graduates and families help shape the ceremony.

Diplomas:
Families provide the official diploma for their graduate. PTG provides each graduate with a PTG Diploma Cover, which families may purchase if they would like to keep it.

Caps & Gowns:
Caps and gowns are purchased as a group so that our graduating class has a coordinated look.

Our 2027 graduates will wear matte navy caps and gowns. Each graduate gets to choose their own tassel color, and graduates are welcome to decorate their mortarboards if they wish.

Music:
Music is an important part of our celebration, and our families and graduates will have opportunities to vote on music selections throughout the planning process.

Graduates who would like to participate as musicians may also have the opportunity to share their talents during the ceremony. Musical participation and selections will be coordinated with the graduating class.

Speakers:
Our families and graduates will have the opportunity to vote on the commencement speaker and benediction speaker.

Prayers & Scripture:
We love giving our graduates the opportunity to be part of the ceremony itself. Graduates who would like to participate may volunteer to pray, read Scripture, or take part in other portions of the ceremony.

*No graduate is required to speak.

No two PTG graduates are exactly alike, so no two celebrations should be either.
We want our graduation to give each teen a moment to be recognized for who they are, what they've accomplished, and the journey that brought them here.

Junior Marshals:
Our Jr. Marshals are younger PTG students who help with various parts of the graduation ceremony and have the special opportunity to participate in honoring our graduating class.

Graduate Slideshow:
A slideshow featuring each graduate will be shown during the celebration.

Families will have the opportunity to share photos that tell their graduate's story, from baby pictures and childhood memories to school years, accomplishments, friendships, and special moments.

Parent Blurbs:
This is one of the most personal parts of our ceremony.

Parents are invited to write a short paragraph celebrating their graduate. As each graduate and their parents walk across the stage, our Emcee will read the family's message aloud.

It's a small moment, but it gives each graduate a chance to be celebrated not just for what they've accomplished, but for who they are.

Graduation Program:
Each graduate will also be featured in the graduation program with a photo and a personal message from their parents.

While the stage moment is brief, the program gives family and friends an opportunity to read more about each graduate as they celebrate together.

Photographer:
We will bring in a photographer to take photos of each family and their guests. Depending on the number of graduates, these will happen before and after the ceremony during assigned times. Our photographer will also document the ceremony itself. 

Brag Tables:
And then we get to brag a little.

Each graduate will have a Brag Table at the reception where they and their family can showcase the things that make them uniquely them.

See Reception Details below for more information!

Celebrating Together:
After the ceremony, graduates and their guests will make their way to the gym for our graduation reception.

This is a time to relax, fellowship with friends and family, celebrate our graduates, and enjoy some food and cake.

Brag Tables:
Every graduate gets their own table to decorate and personalize however they wish.

Brag Tables often include photos, awards, artwork, sports or activity memorabilia, school projects, hobbies, accomplishments, college plans, and other things that tell the story of each graduate.

There is no right or wrong way to do a Brag Table. It can be elaborate or simple, polished or playful. The goal is simply to celebrate your graduate and give guests a glimpse into who they are.

Food & Fellowship:
Light refreshments, snacks, and cake will be served as friends and family fellowship and visit the Brag Tables.

Photo Opportunities:
We'll have several photo opportunities throughout the reception, including photo backdrops where graduates can capture memories with family, friends, and fellow graduates.