*

Dear seniors, parents and families,

This special edition of The Golden Knight is just for you. This newsletter will continue to be updated as we near graduation, so check it often for updated information. All of the information you will need will be here.

If you ever have questions, please reach out to the Senior Class Administrator, Dr. Corey Fields. We look forward to sharing the remainder of this journey with all of you!

Good luck the rest of the way!

June

4: Rustin Class of 2026 - GRADUATION CEREMONY

• Bayard Rustin High School: June 4th at 10:00 a.m. –

  https://youtube.com/live/qcq14gJZLno?feature=share

• Images can be accessed via a link provided by CADY Studios
• Please allow up to 5 days after Commencement to access their site to order your images, to avoid any frustration

If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to the photographer directly.

CADY Customer Service: 678-534-5384

AFTER the graduation ceremony is over, please remember to grab your senior's Graduation Day Photo Yard Sign. EVERY graduating senior will have a sign, and they are for the student/parent to take home with them after the ceremony. Thank you to all who contributed to help PostProm sponsor these signs and congrats to all our grads!

Senior Class Administrator: Dr. Corey Fields (cfields@wcasd.net)

Athletic Director: Mr. Devon Landgraff (dlandgraff@wcasd.net)

Principal: Dr. Maggie Hunt (mhunt1@wcasd.net)

Class of 2026 Parent Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3110902805834712

Class of 2026 Post-Prom: https://www.facebook.com/groups/950069487284298

*New* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustinclassof2026/

The Class of 2026 will hold their Senior Prom on Friday, May 15th at Penn Oaks Golf Club. Doors open at 6:30 pm and all students must arrive by 7:30 pm. The prom ends at 10:00 pm, no student may leave before 9:30 pm.

On the day of prom, all students are expected to attend school and be on time. If the student needs to leave early, the earliest students may leave is 11:00 am. If you are requesting an early dismissal that is not for a doctors/dentist appointment, the dismissal must be requested through the below google form. All Early Dismissal requests must be submitted by 2:30pm on May 12th. The form must be completed by a parent/guardian. All students will sign out at the Main Entrance. Not following procedures could result in disciplinary consequences.

Early Dismissal Request Form

The Class of 2026 is invited to celebrate at the Post Prom 2026 event on Friday, May 15th!!! You do not need to attend the Senior Prom to attend the Post Prom event - AND it's FREE to attend! Be sure to join us for fun & games, food and raffle prizes!! Don't miss the Mechanical Bull and other inflatables, the Bates Mobile Escape Rooms, caricature artists, the fabulous Casino and a few surprises!!! Enjoy Delco cheesesteaks, Chick-fil-A nuggets, a pasta bar, waffle bar, coffee bar and much more! And don’t forget to enter the chance to win lots of great items… including a MacBook Neo, iPad, PS5, Apple Watch, AirPods, gift cards, cash and so much more!

You must register in advance! No walk-ins allowed. You must register no later than FRIDAY, MAY 8th. Please complete the form to register. Each senior must register separately to be eligible for Rustin Senior-Only raffle prizes. Please register your guest as well (guests are not eligible to win raffle prizes).

The Post Prom event begins immediately following prom and will end at 3:00 AM. Check-in will start at 10pm in the cafeteria/auditorium hallway and you must be checked in no later than 10:30 PM. Once checked in, you may not leave the building until 3:00 AM. Exceptions must be requested in advance and approved by administration. *Please note that the Escape Room has a special outdoor area. You may not leave that area. *No food, drinks or any cups/containers may be brought into the event. Bags are not encouraged and will be searched.

The Post Prom is offered to the students by the school and parents as a community building event which provides a fun experience in a secure environment. In that spirit, students should be aware that with the Post Prom comes expectations. All school expectations are in place for this event. The school reserves the right to ask students to leave Post Prom if they do not meet these expectations.

1) Tickets must be reserved in advance. NO tickets will be offered at the door.

2) Rustin students are permitted to bring a guest. Rustin students are responsible for their guests and all guests are subject to the expectations of Rustin High School.

3) School officials reserve the right to breathalyze students upon arrival, during Post Prom, or at the conclusion of Post Prom, if they have a reasonable suspicion of alcohol use.

4) Rustin school officials/appointed parents reserve the right to search any bags brought to Post Prom.

5) Rustin High School/Post Prom Committee is not responsible for lost personal items such as phones, cameras, etc.

6) Senior Post Prom hours are 10:00 PM - 3:00 AM. Students must arrive no later than 10:30 PM. Students will not be permitted to leave until 3:00 AM. Raffles will be drawn beginning at 2:00 AM.

Please contact an administrator with any concerns. If there is an error with your registration, email postpromrustin@gmail.com and include ERROR in your subject.

Click on link below to register

https://forms.gle/7d7hcF6YWHJbF3Ku9

~The 2026 Post Prom Committee and Rustin Administration

If you or someone you know are willing to sponsor this event, please contact Danya Kraft (danyalee@live.com or 610-299-5567). We also gratefully accept cash or Venmo donations (@danyalee) or checks made payable to Rustin All-Class Boosters, and mailed to Danya Kraft, 7 Ardrossan Ave, West Chester, PA, 19382. We greatly appreciate your consideration in helping us make prom a safe and memorable night for our seniors!

Pampered Chef

We’re cooking up something special! Pampered Chef has great products for your kitchen and they make wonderful gifts too! Shop online from the comfort of your own home, plus orders ship directly to you. Orders can be placed from anywhere, so please share the link with family, friends, coworkers and post on social media too. Click the link below and happy shopping! Please reach out to Lisa Artale with any questions (lisamedic911@aol.com).

https://www.pamperedchef.com/party/26rustinprom

Company Matching Donations

In addition to fundraising (see info below), there are other ways we’re hoping to raise money. The Rustin Class of 2026 Boosters is a tax-exempt 501(c) organization. If your company offers a matching charitable contribution program and you’d like to select Rustin Class of 2026 Boosters to receive the money, please contact Danya Kraft at danyalee@live.com. All money will go towards Post-Prom and other senior activities.

Sponsorships

Similarly, if you know someone or a business that would like to sponsor us ($250-$2,500) or would like to make a donation of any amount, please contact Lauren Stiles at laurenstiles1@verizon.net.

Tax-Deductible Donations

We will be hosting multiple fundraisers hoping to appeal to different people. If, however, you’re one of those families that would prefer to make a tax-deductible donation and forego the various fundraisers, we gratefully accept cash, Venmo and checks. Please contact Danya Kraft (danyalee@live.com) to make a cash donation or you can Venmo @danyalee and note Rustin Class of 2026 donation in the description (please don’t send as a business or fees will be taken out). Checks should be payable to Rustin All-Class Boosters and mailed to Danya Kraft, 7 Ardrossan Ave, West Chester, PA 19382.

Volunteers

We also need volunteers… not just Prom Week, but we need help now! We need volunteers to help with social media, at home tasks, communication, fundraising, sponsorships, raffles and decorating! If you’re even remotely interested or want additional information, please complete the following google form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoUxr7RTFQeqXF7cqX_NUE8y3L3sG-9BCsk59vY9fnxI6Eag/viewform?usp=header

Traveling Tom's Coffee Truck will be attending our Senior Breakfast/Walk on May 26th. They will provide each senior with a special coffee or drink. If you would like to donate to help with this gift for our seniors the link is below. All donations have to be ordered by May 19th.

Submit donation here.

Seniors' Last Official Day May 26th

Senior Walk and Breakfast- Seniors will report to the Cafeteria by 8:00 AM on May 26th. Students will receive their cap and gowns and go over some important graduation information. They will then catch a bus to their Elementary School and Middle School for the Senior Walk. Seniors will be dismissed after the Senior Walk.

Senior Awards Assembly- Senior assembly is Friday, May 29th at 9:00AM in the auditorium. The ceremony typically lasts 75-90 minutes. Senior families and Seniors will receive and invitation if they are receiving an award. Senior awardees and their families are invited to attend. All Seniors and their families are welcome to attend. Seniors attending should arrive at 8:30AM. Light refreshments will be served after the assembly.

Graduation Rehearsal Tuesday, June 2nd at 8:00AM

Graduation rehearsal is Tuesday, June 2nd. Seniors must report to the GYM by 8:00AM. Rehearsal usually takes about 2 hours.

Students will receive their graduation tickets at this time!

GRADUATION: Thursday, June 4th at 10:00AM at the Stadium

Seniors must arrive to the GYM on Graduation day no later than 8:45AM.

Doors/gates will open for guests at 9:00AM.

Handicapped seating will be available. Parking spots are first come, first served. Please arrive early.

Procession will begin at 9:45AM.

Expect the ceremony to last no longer than 90 minutes.

The ceremony will also be live streamed for those family members who cannot attend.

If rain is in the forecast, we will consider postponing the ceremony until 1:00PM in order to hold it outside. If it is a total rainout, we will hold it inside at 10:00AM in the Main Gym.

Please plan for all three scenarios.

Delivery Details:

• Caps and Gowns will be delivered to the school for student distribution
• Graduation Announcements and Accessories will be shipped to your home

For questions or assistance, please contact Student Services Company at 610-539-1330 or gowns@studentservicesco.com

Before receiving their cap and gown, graduation tickets & diploma, students will need to ensure they have no outstanding obligations at Rustin High School. This includes returning their school issued laptop, charger, textbooks, uniforms, etc. The information will be shared closer to graduation if a student has to return anything.

RHS Obligations Procedures

Tickets will be distributed during rehearsal on June 2nd.

In order to receive tickets, all obligations must be met, including the return of school issued laptops and chargers.

Every Senior will get 6 tickets - guests must have a ticket to enter the stadium for outside graduation.

3 of these tickets are labeled for inside - just in case the weather causes us to move indoors.

For an indoor ceremony, 3 guests will be able to enter the main gym with a ticket and the other 3 guests will be able to enter the Auditorium to view the ceremony via Live Streaming.

The graduation ceremony will be LiveStreamed for guests who cannot attend in-person to view.

ASL Interpretation

· ASL interpreting services for the hearing impaired will be available upon request. · If you or a family member require these services, please click the link to the (RHS Graduation Translation Request Form) by Monday, May 4, 2026.

· Anyone requiring these services will be seated in an area convenient to viewing the interpreters as well as the stage presentation.

Language Interpretation

· Language interpretation into Spanish will be available.

· There will be interpretation into languages other than Spanish only upon request

· Language interpretation services will be available through a Microsoft Teams link or phone call accessible from your personal device.

· The link will be shared via email and/or text message to the parents and guardians of RHS Seniors who have requested this service. Please click the link to the (RHS Graduation Translation Request Form) by Monday May 4, 2026 to request language interpretation.

We would like to recognize the scholarships you have received in the Graduation Program!
In order to do so, we need your help!

Complete this form if you would like these scholarships in the program. Because the Graduation program will need to go to print, there is a firm deadline of Friday, May 15th at 2:30pm for all submissions.

Completion of this form before the May 15 deadline is the only way to have these self-announced scholarships announced in the program.

No scholarship announcements received after that time can be included.

Make sure you hit SUBMIT to ensure that your response has been sent.

GOOGLE FORM LINK:

2026 Self-Announced Scholarship Form

(Can only be accessed with your Student Email)

Any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Counselor:

Mrs. Demers (A-Da) cdemers@wcasd.net

Mr. Brown (De-Hy) sbrown3@wcasd.net

Ms. Barry (I-McG) gbarry@wcasd.net

Ms. Cerullo (McH-Sca) ccerullo@wcasd.net

Ms. Selgrath (Sch-Z) hselgrath@wcasd.net

Senior parents please use the link below to order commencement gifts.

https://www.thecommencementgroup.com/bayardrustinhs/

Seniors must attend graduation rehearsal in order to attend Graduation. Please be on time.

Seniors are expected to dress appropriately to attend Senior Assembly and Graduation.

• Slacks, collared shirt with tie; dress or skirt with blouse
• No flip-flops, work boots, old sneakers, jeans, hats or shorts
• Keep phones and devices off and in your pocket until the ceremonies are over
• No texting or taking pictures or videos during the ceremonies