Hello Class of 2026 Students!

The Senior Planning Committee needs you all to fill out the Senior Survey before Friday, March 20. Your answers will be used to create the Senior Book that will be handed out at graduation, as well as the 2026 Yearbook. We are requiring everyone to fill this out. The survey also includes an opportunity to nominate peers (or yourself) to speak or perform at graduation this year!

This survey will take at least 15-20 minutes to complete. Please give yourself time to share thorough and thoughtful answers. If you cannot finish it in one sitting, your progress will be saved until you hit submit. If you need to change any answers after submitting, the questionnaire will allow you to do so. 

Students are required to complete the Class of 2026 Senior Survey by March 20, 2026. Click the link below to fill it out!

students: Complete the senior Survey

PARENTS/GUARDIANS: SUBMIT A CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO YOUR SENIOR

Reach out to communications@seattleacademy.org with any questions! Thank you!

Senior Project Dates: April 27 - May 22
Senior Project Night: Wednesday, May 27, 2026 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM Upper School Building & Upper School Courtyard
Program Options: 

• Senior Project – Four-week professional internship
  • Students can earn an Innovations credit for completing the 4-week internship
• Our goal is to have every senior participate in the Senior Project. However, students who decide to opt out of the Senior Project can continue their full class load through the final day of instruction (May 22).
  • Please note: this option is for those students who are committed to their academic classes. Students may not pick and choose which classes they remain in but will be fully enrolled in all of their classes and all attendance and grade requirements must be met.

Some examples of Senior Project sites from last year include: Boeing, NW African American Museum, Seattle University, Windermere, Seattle Humane Society, Amazon, Sub Pop, Cleveland High School, Krusteaz, UW Sports Medicine, LMN Architects, Starbucks, Seattle Storm, Epiphany School, Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, NW Film Festival, MoPop, Mead St. Records, and UW Autism Center.

Your student will receive more information during our Senior Days Kick-Off on Thursday, December 11, and Friday, December 12. Day one will give your student all the tools they need to identify and find a senior project site that will be of interest to them. Day two is all about fun for the seniors. Find more information in the drop-down above.

View the Senior Project Webpage 

Prom 2026 will take place at the Fremont Foundry event space on Saturday, May 2, and will feature a DJ, photo booth, catered refreshments, and a picturesque setting for students to gather and celebrate. Doors open at 7:30 PM, and the dance concludes at 10:00 PM.

Prom is open to juniors and seniors, and each student may bring one guest. Outside guests must submit a completed Dance Contract Form at least two days prior to the event. Students are welcome to attend individually, with friends, or with a date.

Because Prom is hosted at an off-campus venue with catering, ticket prices are higher than those for other school dances. Tickets are $80.00 plus service fees. Community Chest funds are available to eligible students.

Prom tickets are available online beginning Friday, April 3, 2026.

Questions? Contact: Stacie Cone, Lead Coordinator

Senior Sunset Dinner
May 21, 2026, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Upper School Commons & Courtyard 

Seniors and family members are invited to a final dinner celebrating shared memories and meaningful moments to celebrate the Class of 2026. Space is limited, parents/guardians & seniors only. RSVP coming soon. 

Seniors will receive their graduation caps, gowns, and their yearbooks the following day, May 22, after their last English class together. 

Senior Project Presentation Night will take place on Wednesday, May 27. The program begins at 6:00 PM, and doors open at 5:30 PM. More information to come this spring. 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to Rachel Leavitt-Baron or Darby Frey.

We are excited to announce that the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2026 will be held on Tuesday, June 2 at McCaw Hall. More information will be announced in the coming months. If you have specific questions about the event, please email Communications or Andrew Nicolas.

Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Location: McCaw Hall

Timing: Doors open at 5:30 PM; the program begins at 6:30 PM and is expected to run until approximately 9:30 PM.

Ticket Info: Each senior will receive 10 tickets (4 in the orchestra and 6 in the gallery). Seats are on a first-come, first-served basis. Extra tickets available by request via the form below.

Other Important Details:

• SAAS will provide caps and gowns for the ceremony at no cost to families.
• Seniors are expected to attend graduation rehearsal on both Monday, June 1 (timing TBA) and the morning of Tuesday, June 2.

SAVE THE DATE!
Class of 2026 Grad Night
June 2, 2026

We are thrilled to announce that SAAS Senior Grad Night will take place immediately following graduation on June 2, 2026!

Grad Night is an all-night party that senior class parents organize; it is not a school sponsored event. The party provides seniors with an opportunity for a safe, drug and alcohol-free celebration with a night of non-stop entertainment. SAAS Senior Grad Night gives seniors one last chance to be together as a class and make memories that will last for years to come!

We have been working with Grad Nights, a professional event planning firm, to create a fantastic night for the graduating seniors. The party begins right after graduation at McCaw Hall. Students will be shuttled by awaiting buses to two surprise destinations with fun entertainment, food and music. They will return to SAAS early the next morning around 4:00 AM on June 3 for parent pick up.

More details about cost, forms and times will be available in the coming months. Community Chest funds will be available as needed.

Grad Night Reminders:

• Students should not plan on driving themselves to graduation, as they won’t be able to leave their cars overnight while at the Grad Party.
• Students will have a few minutes after the ceremony for pictures and hugs with friends and family before they need to get changed and start moving to the event check-in.
• Bring a change of clothes for the party, comfortable casual clothing (jeans, sweats, shorts, etc), and socks.
• Seniors will be well fed throughout the night, starting with their arrival at the first venue.
• Students will not be permitted to leave the event at any time during the duration of the evening.

Questions about Grad Night? Contact Brandon Hoang, 12th Grade Dean of Students

Questions about tickets? Contact gradnighttickets@seattleacademy.org

REQUIRED HEALTH AND SAFETY FORMS COMING SOON.

If you have any questions about graduation tickets, please contact Darby Frey at dfrey@seattleacademy.org.

Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Location: McCaw Hall

Timing: Doors open at 5:30 PM; the program begins at 6:30 PM and is expected to run until approximately 9:30 PM.

Ticket Info: Each senior will receive 10 tickets (4 in the orchestra and 6 in the gallery). Seats are on a first-come, first-served basis. Extra tickets available by request via the form below.

Other Important Details:

• SAAS will provide caps and gowns for the ceremony at no cost to families.
• Seniors are expected to attend graduation rehearsal on both Monday, June 1 (timing TBA) and the morning of Tuesday, June 2.

Senior Portraits

Senior portraits are used to create our Senior Book, which will be distributed to all attendees of the Class of 2026 Graduation Ceremony on June 2, 2026, at McCaw Hall. The senior portrait will also be displayed as your student crosses the stage to receive their diploma during our graduation program. Families may use the official school/yearbook photo taken by SAAS or submit their own. Please use the link in the button below to upload high-resolution (300 dpi) images. Both vertical and horizontal orientations are acceptable.

Important: Ensure the file name is labeled with the senior's first and last name.

Step By Step Photo Upload Instructions to SAAS SmugMug

Questions? Email Andrew Spitzer, Digital Marketing & Communications Manager.

For the Class of 2026, we will be creating and printing the “Senior Book" for distribution at the Class of 2026 Graduation Ceremony at McCaw Hall. Separate from the all-school yearbook, this Senior Book will be a special printed piece of memorabilia honoring the Class of 2026.

Students are required to complete the Graduation Questionnaire Google Form by March 20, 2026. We'll share that link here soon.

The College Advising staff is still here to support you! Please remember to keep your College Advisor in the loop on both outcomes and merit scholarships. You might have some tough decisions to make about where to go. Pro/con lists actually work pretty well, and your College Advisor is happy to talk with you about your options. 

Contact College Advising

View College Advising 12th Grade Weekly Emails

All service hours should be documented in mobileserve by Friday, April 24, 2026. Questions? Contact: Rachel Leavitt-Baron, Community Action Program Coordinator.

This spring we will share digital graduation announcement (PDF) in a Senior Outreach email. Families can then forward the invite to family members and other guests, or print it out if they'd like hard copies to distribute or save! The announcement contains information about the event and a link to our hosted graduation livestream online at seattleacademy.org/graduation.

Customizing your own graduation announcements?

Each senior will receive 10 tickets (4 in orchestra, 6 in gallery sections). Seats are on a first-come, first-served basis. To request additional tickets for the 2026 Graduation ceremony. Complete the Additional Ticket Request Form. While we cannot guarantee availability, we will do our best to accommodate all requests.

SAAS provides caps & gowns to wear for the ceremony at no cost to families.

Our in-house photographer will be onsite taking photos throughout commencement. Photos will be shared via SmugMug with all families at no cost. 

There is no need to contact SAAS about graduating senior accounts. Many seniors continue to use their MyKidsSpending accounts through graduation for the Friday English classes and on campus meetings.  In June, SAAS will automatically either transfer the balance to a sibling remaining at SAAS or refund any excess funds held by SAAS via a mailed paper check. Please make sure your mailing address is up to date in Veracross.