Austin High School will hold commencement exercises tonight at Riverside Arena, starting at 7 p.m. -- Herald file photo

254 to walk at Austin graduation

School’s out.

This year’s Austin High School graduation ceremony is 7 p.m. Friday at Riverside Arena. Although this class is a little smaller, there are still 254 seniors who will walk across the stage.

“This is just a super group,” said AHS Principal Brad Bergstrom. “It was a very, very good group of kids.”

Each class has its own spirit, and this class will be known for its respect. That’s one thing Bergstrom remembers seeing when he went on the annual ninth grade trip to Washington D.C. for the first time. The students were busy from sunup to sundown learning about the nation’s capital, and Bergstrom remembers how well the students did.

“They were a great group,” he said.

There are 21 students who will graduate with high distinction and all of them will speak at the ceremony, a change from previous years, where some students chose not to speak.

Each student, regardless of distinction, will have his or her name and future plans announced.