Bad weather leads District 214 to consider moving future graduations to Hoffman Estates arena
After Northwest Suburban High School District 214 administrators scrambled to move graduation ceremonies indoors because of bad weather in May, they’re now considering relocating all commencement exercises to the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates.
The school board is set to vote July 10 on a license agreement with arena operator Oakview Group that would shift graduations from District 214’s six school campuses to the 8,000-seat indoor venue.
District 214 graduations have traditionally been held outdoors on football fields, but smaller indoor school gymnasiums have served as backups if the weather is inclement, as was the case May 21.
That forced schools to implement a four-ticket-per-graduate maximum, leaving some family members to watch on livestreams in overflow rooms or at home — a situation Superintendent Scott Rowe called “gut wrenching” and “regrettable.”
“That’s the motivating factor for me to make this change,” Rowe said at board meeting late last week. “At times in our conversation it has felt a little abrupt, because tradition is important in this district. … But I never want to have to tell a family you only get four tickets to come. There’s a way we can avoid that. There’s some of the nostalgia of not being at your school. We can’t replace that. But you will not regret this shift.”
Under the proposed two-year license agreement, graduations of Elk Grove, Prospect and Rolling Meadows high schools would be held at NOW on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Wheeling would be on Tuesday, May 26, John Hersey on Wednesday, May 27, and Buffalo Grove on Thursday, May 28.
The following year, Elk Grove would graduate Friday, May 14, 2027; Buffalo Grove, Hersey, Rolling Meadows and Wheeling on Saturday, May 15; and Prospect on Wednesday, May 19.
The district would pay an “all in” license fee of $228,000 in 2026 and $240,000 in 2027, covering set up, take down, security, ushers, cleaning and emergency medical services, under terms of the agreement.
It’s less than the $265,000 the district budgets for graduations every year, mostly because of personnel costs to pay school staff and police officers to work the on-campus events, Rowe said.
Per security protocols, NOW Arena requires tickets for graduations held there. Plans call for every graduate to receive 10 tickets, but there would be a mechanism for students to ask for and receive more.
With Prospect having the largest number of graduates (550), Rowe said there would be “plenty of space to spare” inside the stadium for family and friends.
Concession stands will be open, and the arena will be able to keep proceeds from all food and beverage sales — but alcohol won’t be sold. Flower bouquets also will be available for purchase.
Officials contacted other venues like the Schaumburg Convention Center and Rosemont Theatre. But Rosemont was unable to do more than one ceremony per day, Rowe said, and at 4,400 seats, is a smaller venue.
Though school board members won’t formally vote on the proposal until next week, most spoke in favor of it during committee discussion last Thursday.
“Right now, if there’s bad weather we have an alternate day, and for a lot of families that’s an issue because they were planning on going on vacation the next day after their kid graduated. These are fixed days,” said board member Joe Sagerer. “That’s the big advantage of the plan is that it takes out that uncertainty.”