The last Christian County Colonels and Hopkinsville Tigers to receive diplomas from their respective schools will have graduation ceremonies in their school gymnasiums.
For several years, both schools have held graduation ceremonies outdoors, weather permitting, at the Stadium of Champions.
But district officials said Thursday that going back to the two school campuses for the final graduation night before consolidation into one high school next year is a tribute to traditions.
“Hosting graduation in each school’s gym honors the proud, long-standing traditions of both schools and allows the final graduating classes to celebrate this milestone within the walls where they have spent years learning, growing, competing and building lifelong memories,” a press release states. “It is a meaningful tribute to the history, accomplishments, and pride of each school community while marking this important moment in their legacy.”
The Christian County Board of Education has set both graduations on Friday, May 22. Christian County will have its ceremony at 5 p.m. The Hopkinsville graduation will begin at 8:30 p.m.
The consolidated Christian County High School, which is nearing completion on the new campus at Fort Campbell Boulevard and Lovers Lane, will open in August for the 2026-27 school year.
The new school will combine the two current high schools and the Gateway Academy to Innovation and Technology. The mascot will be the Tigers. The school colors, mainly blue and orange, will come from the two existing high schools.
During a recent tour of the new school for community members, Ken Carver, executive principal, said he expects the school to open with approximately 1,950 students.
The graduation ceremonies will cap a yearlong series of last traditions — from ballgames and homecomings, to club meetings and social events — that students, employees and community members have observed with a mix of nostalgia, melancholy and anticipation.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
