The Thomson High School class of 2023 will hold its commencement ceremony on May 19 at 8:00 p.m. in The Brickyard, located at 612 Main St. in Thomson. Parking is available across the street from the stadium in the fields adjacent to the McDuffie County School System office, the parking lot beside the old gym, as well as the parking lot at the McDuffie Achievement Center. Overflow parking is available at Thomson First United Methodist Church.
Foot traffic should remain on the west side of Main Street until reaching the crossing area located at the intersection of Main Street and Springfield Street. Police officers will be directing traffic to assist those crossing the street.
Attendees should enter through the stadium’s front entrance and be prepared for a safety screening. Also, please note that noise making devices, balloons, and large banners or signs are not permitted.
Family and friends at the ceremony should beware that anyone who may be negatively impacted by a strobing light effect should take proper precautions ahead of time. At the end of the ceremony, the lights will blink to create a celebratory atmosphere.
In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place in the Thomson High School gymnasium, with overflow seating in the auditorium available to view a live stream of the event. The gym can seat around 1,200 people, and the auditorium can seat around 630. Regardless of the forecast, each senior will be given six color coded tickets during the last graduation practice to divide between their attendees. Four of the same color will be for the gym, and two of a different color will be for the overflow area. Because of limited seating, any person who is four years old and up must have a ticket to be admitted into either the gym or the auditorium.