LAPEER, Michigan –Lapeer High School’s commencement ceremony will return to the Dort Federal Event Center in Flint in 2017. The venue, located off I-69 in Flint, hosted commencement ceremonies for Lapeer East and West before the 2015 high school consolidation. The last two ceremonies have been held at Oakland University’s O’Rena in Rochester.

Superintendent Matt Wandrie met with a group of student leaders from Lapeer High School last month to discuss their recommendation to move the ceremony back to Dort Federal. Since that meeting, Wandrie toured the facility with members of the LHS administration and the Board of Education to assess its condition. Since the District moved commencement to Oakland, the new owners of the facility have poured millions of dollars into renovations.

“Our past concerns with the condition of the facility have been alleviated, and we’re excited about once again holding our ceremony closer to home, at a larger venue,” said LCS Superintendent Matt Wandrie. “We listened to the concerns of the students, took a fresh look at the facility and were impressed by what we saw.”

The Dort Federal Event Center now has state-of-the-art lighting, a high definition Jumbotron screen, upgraded seating and a renovated foyer. The facility has more seats, more space for staging graduates and a standalone parking area.

The Class of 2017 commencement ceremony will be held June 4 at 2 p.m.