Commencement ceremonies start this week in Union County

DICK MASON, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
·2 min read

LA GRANDE — Graduation season at public high schools in Union County kicks off Thursday, May 23, with Imbler High School’s commencement. IHS’s graduation ceremony will start at 7 p.m. in its gym.

Following are dates for the remaining public high school graduation ceremonies in Union County:

• Cove High School, Saturday, May 25, 11 a.m., high school football field.

• Elgin High School, Thursday, May 30, 6 p.m., high school gym.

• Union High School, Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m., high school gym.

• Powder Valley High School, Saturday, June 1, 1 p.m., old high school gym, North Powder.

• La Grande High School, Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m., high school gym.

About 255 seniors will be graduating from Union County’s six public high schools. The approximate numbers of graduates are 130 at La Grande High School, 28 at Cove High School, 32 at Elgin High School, 22 at Imbler High School, 18 at Powder Valley High School and 25 at Union High School.

Eastern Oregon University

Commencement at Eastern Oregon University on Saturday, June 15, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Community Stadium on the La Grande campus.

Prior to the graduation ceremony a hooding ceremony will be conducted at Gilbert Plaza — between Ackerman Hall and the Gilbert Events Center — for EOU graduates who will be awarded masters degrees. Eastern offers seven masters degrees, which are among the more than 37 degrees it offers.

EOU’s graduation ceremony this year will start a half hour earlier than it traditionally has, according to Tim Seydel, EOU’s vice president for university advancement. Seydel said the time change is meant to give EOU graduates additional time to participate in commencement-related activities.

Eastern has not yet announced how many graduates it will have this year. The school’s records indicate that in 2023 it awarded 776 degrees and 360 students walked across Eastern’s commencement stage.