SES Graduation Information

Seniors should arrive at SES no later than 6 p.m. They will report to Gold house.

A decision will be made by 10 a.m. on the day of graduation as to whether or not we will hold graduation outside that evening. The decision will be emailed to senior families and posted on the SES website.

The ceremony, whether held indoors or outdoors, will be at 7 p.m.

• Outdoor ceremony:  not a ticketed event
• Indoor ceremony: two tickets for main floor seating and two for overflow upstairs at SES via livestream
• Tickets will be distributed to seniors at graduation practice.

The outdoor ceremony is held in the amphitheater at the MN Zoo (where the outdoor bird show is located).

Enter the MN Zoo using the East Entrance, not the Main Entrance. There is quite a long walk to get from the parking area to the amphitheater. Please plan accordingly as wheelchairs, strollers, etc. are not available at the Zoo that evening; however, the MN Zoo does have a golf cart to transport a limited number of guests to the amphitheater. Guests will not be allowed entrance to the Zoo prior to 6:15 p.m. the night of the ceremony. Please be respectful of this as the zoo is open for business until 6 pm and cannot manage our guests until they have gotten all of theirs out for the day. 

At this time no, but we will continue to monitor policies. 

Yes. Lifetouch will be on site to take official photos of each graduate.

Yes. Eagan TV will be recording and live streaming the ceremony. You can find it on your public access channel. 

Cap and gown pick up happens at each home high school. Information regarding the pick up of cap/gowns will be coming from each home high school soon, if it hasn't already. Please watch for emails and reach out to your home high school if you have questions.

Special SES Senior Tassels are available for $15 each and can be ordered online through the Jostens site for SES Graduates. They will be shipped directly to your house and may not arrive in time for graduation at this point. They are customized for SES and for each one purchased, a tree will be planted.

A graduation fee of $40 is charged to all graduates in District 196, even those who come from out of district, to support the costs incurred with graduation. 

The fee is charged through each student’s home high school and is now available on MyPaymentsPlus. In the past many SES graduates have chosen to participate in both the SES graduation ceremony and their home high school ceremony. SES does not charge a separate fee for graduation.

Decor, diploma, security, custodial services, and other graduation-related expenses.

Diplomas are picked up at the student’s home high school. Please check their websites and graduation communications for more information. We’ll share more when we know.

Yes. All Seniors are required to attend the graduation practice that will occur during the school day on June 1. Please be ON TIME to school that day, as we will start promptly.

No.

It is district policy that no 196 graduates may decorate their caps. In an effort to provide a formal group ceremony that celebrates our school and district achievements, only approved academic or cultural regalia that is provided to seniors as a result of an honor by participating in a District 196 program can be worn.

The CLASS OF 2023 ALL-NIGHT GRADUATION PARTY is happening from June 1st - June 2nd and tickets are available until May 17.  Get them a ticket now to the senior blast, and they can enjoy a private cruise on the St. Croix River, casino games, henna body art, caricatures, a hypnotist show, prizes, food and more! Tickets are $90. 

Purchase Ticket

All fines and fees need to be paid in May. Seniors can return unused materials to the library now.  Seniors should not leave school on June 1 without clearing all of their fines and fees as it could impact the timeliness of their diploma being released. 

Information may be found here.