As the school year comes to an end, Robinson’s Class of 2023 prepares for their graduation on Sunday, May 28 at 3:30 p.m. The event will be taking place at the Expo Center on the Florida States Fairgrounds and will last for approximately 90 minutes.

“Graduation is always fun because you have all types of students. You have the ones that are like ‘I wanna get out of here, I wanna go on to the next thing’ and you have ones that really had to work here to get where they are,” Principal David Brown said. “But the important thing to remember is that nationwide, the graduation rate is 73%, so you have accomplished something that 27% of other people your age haven’t done.”

All seniors must be present at the graduation rehearsal happening on Thursday, May 18 from 6:00 p.m. through 8:00 p.m. in order to attend the event. On the day of the ceremony, seniors must arrive no later than 2:30 p.m. Student debts must also be paid off. Not to mention, caps cannot be decorated or thrown and one must follow the guidelines for attire on the day of the event.

“I can appreciate, wanting all of us to be in uniform, and being one cohesive group. But I always dreamed of doing a Sharpay Evans-inspired cap for my high school graduation. Maybe I’ll save that for my college graduation,” Student-Body President Sela Teplin (’23) said.

In addition, only 10 guest passes are provided to each graduate. Those who are unable to attend the event can watch it live on Hillsborough Schools TV. Fellow students are also encouraged to arrange carpools, as there is a parking charge of $8 per vehicle.

“Graduating is such a bittersweet experience. I’ve been at Robinson long enough that I’m ready to get out of there and experience new things. However, I grew up around these people and they’ve become such an important part of my life. I’ll definitely miss everyone,” Celeste Lara (’23) said.