Graduation time for Belmore-Merrick students

For the second straight year, the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District held its graduation ceremonies at the NYCB Theater at Westbury, formerly the Westbury Music Fair. And for the second straight year, Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham seniors and their parents said they were happy about the location, as it allowed graduates and their families to sit in air-conditioned comfort through the hour-long celebrations.

As always on the big day, excited parents showered their now adult children with flowers and balloons and snapped hundreds of photos.

The NYCB Theater, Central officials noted, accommodated many more family members and friends of graduates — 2,000 in all — than did the football field bleachers at the high schools. This made it possible for the Central District to distribute up to six or even seven tickets to the ceremony per senior instead of the usual four. And the sound system was superb, officials said, allowing the three high schools to stage full-fledged concerts amid the festivities.

More than 900 seniors graduated from the district’s three high schools this year, and the Herald was there to catch the action.