WS Chronicle

TEVIN STINSON 

THE CHRONICLE  

 Graduation season is here and this week nearly 3,953 high school seniors in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) will walk across the stage to receive their high school diplomas.  

The last day for students is Friday, May 23, and graduations will be held throughout the week beginning, Wednesday, May 21. Most graduation ceremonies will be held at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum or the Fairground Arena.  

Those attending graduation ceremonies at the LJVM Coliseum or Fairgrounds Arena will likely encounter heavier traffic than normal, road closures and rerouting. The City of Winston-Salem and Wake Forest University are constructing new buildings and demolishing old ones along Deacon Boulevard for the development of “The Grounds,” a 100-acre mixed-use development.  

To help make travel easy, officials are asking those attending graduations to plan ahead. “Making plans now will help ease congestion and make traffic flow more smoothly,” said district leaders in a press release.  

District leaders offer the following advice for those attending graduations: 

*Look for less traditional routes to the area using U.S. 52 to 27th or 30th Streets and Shorefair Drive. Deacon Blvd. will be closed from University Pkwy. to Piccolo Lane.  

*Plan to enter the venues through gates on University Parkway or 27th Street.  

*Plan to arrive at least an hour ahead of the scheduled event.  

*Carpool with more high-occupancy vehicles.  

*Consider public transportation. Winston-Salem Transit runs regular routes to the Coliseum area. 

Here’s a complete list of dates, times, and locations for local high school graduations.  

School Date Time Location  

Early College, Wednesday, May 21, 9:30 a.m. – Fairgrounds Arena  

Middle College, Wednesday, May 21, 12 p.m. – Fairgrounds Arena  

Kennedy, Wednesday, May 21, 2:30 p.m. – Fairgrounds Arena  

WS Prep, Wednesday, May 21, 5 p.m. – Fairgrounds Arena  

East Forsyth, Thursday, May 22, 8 a.m. – LJVM  

Walkertown, Thursday, May 22, 10 a.m. – Fairgrounds Arena  

Atkins, Thursday, May 22, 12 p.m. – LJVM  

Carver, Thursday, May 22, 2 p.m. – Fairgrounds Arena  

Reagan, Thursday, May 22, 4 p.m. – LJVM  

North Forsyth, Thursday, May 22, 6:15 p.m. – Fairgrounds Arena  

Reynolds, Thursday, May 22, 8 p.m. – LJVM  

Mount Tabor, Friday, May 23, 8 a.m. – LJVM  

Parkland, Friday, May 23, 11 a.m. – LJVM  

West Forsyth, Friday, May 23, 2 p.m. – LJVM  

Glenn (Rain Date Friday), May 23, 5 p.m. – Rain Date LJVM