Dear APHS Seniors, Parents and Guardians,
With your commencement ceremony right around the corner, I wanted to reach out with some important
information which should be helpful in your planning!
The Commencement Ceremony for the APHS Class of 2024 will occur on Tuesday, June 25th at 6:30 pm at
the MVP Arena in Albany.
CAP AND GOWN DISTRIBUTION: All Seniors will receive their caps and gowns for graduation on Wednesday,
June 12th during an assembly in the auditorium prior to the annual Senior Walk-Through of the Elementary
Schools. Given the time between this distribution and our commencement ceremony, it will be very important
that students safely store, and keep track of, your caps, gowns, and tassels.
GRADUATION REHEARSAL: Graduation rehearsal will occur at 12:30 pm on Tuesday, June 25th in the APHS
Gym. Students should report to the ELA Wing of the HS no later than 12:10 pm to line up for the procession.
This is required for all students who plan to attend the actual commencement ceremony. At rehearsal, we will
carefully review, and run through, everything that you need to know in order to participate appropriately in the
ceremony. It is important that all graduates have turned in their school-owned materials prior to this time. This
includes Chromebooks, library books, and textbooks.
TICKETS FOR GUESTS: As a result of the size of our venue, tickets will NOT be required for guests to attend
the commencement ceremony. Graduates may have as many guests, family, and friends as they would
like. Doors to the MVP Arena will open one hour prior to the event, at 5:30 pm. Seating will be first come, first
serve. Keep in mind; this is a large venue, and there truly is plenty of room.
PARKING AND ARRIVAL TO THE MVP ARENA: On the evening of June 25th, the MVP Arena will open its
doors at 5:30 pm. Parking will be available via the MVP Arena Parking Garage. Parking for those with disabilities
is located on Level 3. Parking is also available in the lots located on Green and Hudson Streets. Please note
that all of these parking options have a fee of $5.00 associated with them.
Here is a link to a map of this area, with parking options provided by the MVP Arena:
https://www.mvparena.com/plan-your-visit/directions-parking
Upon arrival, graduates must enter the MVP Arena via the Beaver Street Entrance only. At this entrance,
each graduate will be checked in by our chaperones, and will be directed to the appropriate staging area to
prepare for the opening procession. Graduates must make sure that they are checked in, and ready, no later
than 6:00 pm, at which time final attendance will be taken.
Upon arrival, all guests should enter the MVP Arena via the Parking Garage Entrance or the Main Front
Entrance on Pearl Street. Again, doors will be opened at 5:30 pm.
SECURITY NOTES: Please note that no backpacks or video equipment will be allowed inside of the MVP
Arena. Concessions will not be opened for this event, but bottle water is permitted, as long as plastic or other
non-glass containers are used.
LIVE STREAMING: Our commencement ceremony will be professionally live streamed by the MVP Arena on
the following landing page: https://www.youtube.com/@aphsevents2765/streams
This link will go live on the day of the event.
We are all very excited for this opportunity to celebrate the APHS Class of 2024. I know that everyone in our
school community is extremely proud of these soon-to-be graduates, and we look forward to celebrating with
each of you on June 25th. We will send further updates between now and then, but in the meantime, if you have
any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the high school office at 674-7002.
My best to all of our graduates and their families in these final weeks of the 23-24 school year. Make good
decisions, stay healthy and be well!
Sincerely yours,
Heath C. Quiles
Principal
Averill Park High School
Click here for the PDF.